The Look Back on Today
by SoCalGirl3
Summary: This story follows Kirsten and Jimmy's relationship through high school and what happens in college...Kirsten & Jimmy pairing and eventual Kirsten & Sandy and Jimmy & Julie pairings. CHAPTER 29 FINISHED!
1. Summary & Disclaimer

**_The Look Back on Today_**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from _The O.C. _I do own Kelly Conner.**

**The title of the story is from the title of "Looking Back on Today," by The Ataris.**

**This is another story that explores Kirsten and Jimmy's relationship while they were in high school, and what happened when they go off to college…Eventually Sandy/Kirsten and Jimmy/Julie…**

**I have tried to construct a somewhat accurate timeline based on what has been said in episodes, but some of the information conflicts, so it might not be quite accurate…**

**UPDATED TIMELINE!**

**1961: Sandy Cohen born (just a guess…says he met Kirsten when he was 22 and I am assuming it was while Kirsten was an undergraduate at Berkeley and Sandy was in law school at Berkeley, which would make her younger.)**

**1963: Kirsten Nichol and Jimmy Cooper born (I am assuming that they are the same age, given that they dated in high school and went to prom together and stuff…but they very well could have been a year apart…)**

**1970: Julie born (In one episode, Jimmy states that Julie was pregnant with Marissa during the 1986 NBA finals (in June)…however it was actually the 1988 NBA finals because Jimmy talks about the Lakers playing the Pistons, which was in 1988, not 1986, so that means Marissa was born in 1988 or 1989 depending on how pregnant she was at the time…in another episode, Kirsten makes it known that Julie had Marissa when she was 18 years old)**

**1973: Hailey Nichol born (Jimmy says in one episode in season one that she was 8 years old when he left for college, making her 10 years younger than Kirsten and Jimmy…of course there was an episode in season two when he says that Hailey is 25…I think that the ten years younger thing sounds more accurate.)**

**1979: Jimmy Cooper meets Kirsten Nichol when he is 16 years old.**

**1980: Kirsten and Jimmy are 17…apparently, Caleb Nichol tried to convince Jimmy to propose to Kirsten when he was 17.**

**1981: Kirsten and Jimmy are 18 and graduate from high school…Kirsten attends Berkeley in the fall.**

**1982-1983: Rebecca Bloom disappears (in the same year as Kirsten and Sandy's 20th Anniversary, Sandy tells Rebecca that it has been 22 years since he last saw her.)**

**1983: Sandy Cohen meets Kirsten Nichol for the first time when he is 22 years old.**

**1985: Kirsten and Sandy get married (January 2005 was their 20th Anniversary…which conflicts with the fact that in season one Sandy states that he has been married 17 years…I'm going to go with 20 years, since they had an entire episode based around it…)**

**1988: Seth Cohen and Marissa Cooper born (if you go by Julie being pregnant when the Lakers played the Pistons in 1988 when it actually happened and not in 1986…1988 actually makes more sense with them being seniors during season three, even though I know that they really should have been seniors during season two…)**

**1990: Hailey Nichol runs away from home at age 17 (during season two, Kirsten makes reference to Hailey leaving home at age 17)**

**1994: Kirsten's mother is diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The Cohens move to Newport Beach from Berkeley. After her mother passes away, Kirsten begins working for her father at the Newport group. (In season one, Sandy says that Seth has been "planning his exodus since he was six," which is when I am assuming they move there. So if you go by Seth being born in 1988, then he is six in 1994.)**

**Please let me know if you like it or not and if you have any ideas!**


	2. Chapter 1: The Girl By the Pool

**Chapter 1: The Girl By the Pool**

NEWPORT BEACH, CA

AUGUST 25, 1979

The early morning fog had dissipated by the afternoon and it was turning into another gorgeous day in Newport Beach…the sun was shining bright and the sky was as blue as the ocean that lay beneath it.

He had decided to take advantage of the beautiful day by giving his dog, Penny, a walk and exploring the new neighborhood he had just moved into. He walked to the end of his street and turned onto the main road of the development of high priced mansions. He walked down the street and turned onto one of the streets. As he walked toward the end of the street, he spotted the largest mansion that he had seen in the entire neighborhood thus far and walked closer to get a better look.

As he approached the mansion, he was able to see into the backyard, which sat at a lower level than the house itself. And that's when he saw her. The most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his life. She was laying out tanning by the side of her private pool. She was wearing a bikini, so it was easy for him to see that she had a fabulous slender and tan figure and her bright blonde hair seemed to shine even brighter due to the reflection of the sun upon it.

He stopped and stared at her for a few moments and then headed back down the street, away from the large mansion, hoping that maybe he would get to meet her someday if he was lucky enough…

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Kirsten Nichol took a sip of her spiked lemonade and set it back down on the small table next to her chaise lounge that she had been lying down in. She had decided to relax and spend the afternoon tanning before her debutant ball that was later in the evening. As she took another sip of her drink, she could feel the vodka in the lemonade burn a bit as it went down her throat, but it was simultaneously pleasing and somehow helped to ease her feelings of loneliness…

But no one even suspected that Kirsten Nichol was lonely…I mean, how could they. Her father was the richest man in Newport and showed a façade as a loving and caring father. Her mother was one of the most well respected and elegant women of the neighborhood. And she had an adorable six year old sister.

However, the truth could not have been further from this. Although her father's real estate business had been doing even better than ever, her mom had been mysteriously "ill" much more often than usual. Kirsten suspected that in at least some of the cases, her mom was hung over…especially when her bouts of "illness" occurred after a fancy Newport party. And this alone was not all that new to Kirsten. However, it seemed that in the recent months, her mother had been having a bit more to drink than she normally did, and it was starting to worry Kirsten. And if that was the case, Kirsten was sure that she could pinpoint the reason for it in two words. Her father. It seemed as though lately he was working at the office more than ever, and when he was home he was always demanding something out of everyone…in other words being even more challenging than he normally was. It had been hard on everyone, especially her mother. And as for her sister Hailey, she seemed to be getting on Kirsten's nerves more than ever…always knowing just how to please their father, while it seemed that Kirsten was failing in every way.

Kirsten sighed and took yet another sip, suddenly finding it ironic that she was dealing with the stresses of her own life, including her mom drinking, by drinking herself. _Jeez_, Kirsten thought, _why am I doing this…definitely probably not the smartest move…and yet somehow I don't care… _

Kirsten was just starting to think about heading into the house soon, when her 6-year old sister Hailey came running toward her.

"Hey Kiks!" Hailey exclaimed.

"Hey Hails," Kirsten replied back.

"Hey, whatcha drinking…can I have a sip?" and before Kirsten could stop her, Hailey had already taking a large gulp of the spiked lemonade.

"Yuck! That's awful Kirsten! Why are you drinking that?" Hailey asked, disgusted.

"Um, well, um, it's something…well, I didn't like this stuff when I was your age either, but you will like it someday…don't worry about it…it's nothing, just something you drink when you are older…" Kirsten trailed off, hoping her answer would satisfy Hailey.

"Yeah, right! I'll never like that stuff! Anyway, Dad wants you to come inside to start getting ready for your debutant ball," Hailey told her.

"Alright…tell Dad I'll be inside in a few minutes," Kirsten informed her and Hailey ran off in the other direction. _Here we go again,_ Kirsten thought, _another night with the Newpsies…_


	3. Chapter 2: The White Knight

**Chapter 2: The White Knight**

Kirsten was sitting at her vanity in her room, just finishing up with her make up, when she heard a knock at her door.

"Come in!" Kirsten called. The door slowly opened to reveal Hailey. She was standing there in a cute pale blue dress that their mom had picked out for her to where last week. She was clutching a brush and her hair looked a little scuffed up, almost as if she had attempted to do her hair herself, but failed miserably.

"Hey Kiks…I was wondering if you could maybe fix my hair…I tried but I can't do it…and Dad told me that Mom was taking a nap and I shouldn't bug her…but if you don't have time…" Hailey rambled on.

"No, I have time," Kirsten said as she stood up from the chair she was sitting in. "Come on and sit right here." Hailey quickly complied. Kirsten ran a brush through Hailey's hair and parted it and then got out a curling iron and quickly curled the ends of her hair. She finished off her hair by putting spiral curls into evenly spaced, yet somewhat random sections of Hailey's hair. And then for a finishing touch, Kirsten added s few sparkles on Hailey's eye lids and a tiny bit of color to her lips. Kirsten looked at Hailey in the mirror, satisfied with her work.

"Thanks, Kirsten! I love it! You are the best!" Hailey exclaimed.

"No prob, Hails…Hey, since you're all ready, why don't you go downstairs and watch some TV…we should be leaving in about 45 minutes and it will give you something to do."

"Okay, Kiks, that's a good idea." And with that, Hailey left the room. Kirsten sat back down in the chair and sighed. _Time to start on my own hair now…_

Kirsten decided to do an up-do with small curls pinned down all over the back of her head. She was just about finished when there was another knock on her door.

"Come in," Kirsten stated. The door creaked open and there stood Kirsten's mother, looking beautiful as she normally did for events like these. However, upon seeing that it was her mother who had just entered the room, Kirsten felt somewhat surprised. She half-expected her mother to look at least a little haggard from her latest hangover, but instead there were no traces whatsoever.

"Oh, Kirsten! You look gorgeous!" her mother exclaimed!

"Thanks Mom!" Kirsten replied. "We should probably leave in a few min-" her sentence was suddenly cut-off by the telephone ringing. Her mother promptly answered it and handed it to Kirsten saying it was for her.

"Hello…Oh hey, how are you?...Really, oh my god, I'm so sorry…So you can't make it…Bummer…No, no, I swear I believe you…you actually really do sound sick, I promise…No, you stay home and rest, I'll be fine…I promise…Yeah, okay, I'll talk to you later…Bye Brad!...Feel better, okay?...Okay, bye!" Kirsten hung up the phone and turned to her mother.

"Brad is sick…He was hoping that by this afternoon he would be well enough to come, but he isn't…so I guess I don't have an escort now…" Kirsten sighed.

"Well, that won't do!" her mother replied. "You are the lead deb…you have to have an escort…Mrs. Hall is coordinating it, right?" Kirsten nodded. "Well, I'm going to give her a call right now, before we leave…You just finish getting ready, Kirsten, okay?"

"Yeah, okay," Kirsten replied. A few minutes later, the family was out the door and apparently Mrs. Hall was working on trying to find Kirsten a last minute escort as the Nichols were headed to the ball…

When Kirsten arrived at the gorgeous hall where the annual debutant ball was taking place, she carried her garment containing her long white dress into the back room to finish getting ready. As she entered the room, she was greeted by her so-called "friends."

"Kirsten, your hair is so gorgeous!" Taryn raved. "It's going to look fabulous with your dress."

"Well, of course it is! Kirsten always looks fabulous! I mean Kirsten is always perfect," smirked Courtney.

Well, they all had been her friends for ages, but it bothered Kirsten that so many of them seemed to be so phony and insincere, even when trying to give compliments. A few of them were genuinely nice, including Kirsten's best friend, Kelly Connor.

"Hey Kirst!" Kelly greeted her! Then she proceeded to whisper, "Don't worry about them." Kelly was wearing a white halter dress that was tight at the top and slowly flared out past her waist to the ground. It had concentrated sparkles near the top of the dress that spaced out more and more on the lower part of the dress. The whole ensemble was completed with Kelly's golden brown hair done half up with pinned curls, leaving the bottom part of her hair curled and flowing with her dress.

"Oh, Kell, you look so beautiful!" Kirsten told her friend.

"Thanks Kirst! You better get that dress on…I think we're starting fairly soon." Kelly told her.

Kirsten went over to the side of the room and put on her dress which Kelly promptly zippered up for her. As Kirsten turned around in the mirror, she smiled slightly at the sight. Her dress had thin spaghetti straps and the top of it was cut straight around. There were three folds on the top, with the fabric overlapping itself, accompanied by gorgeous beads arranged in a pattern. The top of the dress was tight and it began flaring out slightly at her waist, ending in three folds at the bottom matching those at the top. Although the dress as fairly simple, it had a classic look to it and Kirsten looked beautiful in it.

"Oh, Kirst! You look so gorgeous!" Kelly stated.

Just then, the debutant coordinator, Mrs. Hall, entered and approached Kirsten.

"Oh good, you're here! Good news, I found a last minute white knight to replace Brad. He's waiting outside. Very nice boy, just moved into Newport last week." Mrs. Hall told her.

"Great! Thanks so much, Mrs. Hall," Kirsten said.

"Oh, it's really no problem. And we couldn't have our lead debutant without an escort, could we?" Mrs. Hall said. "You better come with me and met him quick."

The white knight stood waiting outside. He couldn't believe his mother volunteered him for this. He didn't mind watching, but he wasn't so sure about actually participating in it. Suddenly the door opened. Mrs. Hall came out, followed by none-other than the girl he had seen by the pool earlier this afternoon. And she looked even more gorgeous now in the white dress she was wearing.

"Ah, okay! Jimmy, this is Kirsten Nichol, the debutant you'll be escorting and dancing with. Kirsten, this is Jimmy Cooper."

"Nice to meet you," Kirsten stated as she stuck out her hand.

"You too," Jimmy stated, in utter disbelief that he actually was meeting the girl of his dreams. Now he was glad that his mother had volunteered him.

"Okay, Kirsten, you better go line up with the rest of the girls," Mrs. Hall told her. "Jimmy, you come with me."

Kirsten waited in the long line, which seemed like it was an eternity. Why did the "lead" debutant have to go last anyway? _Finally, I'm up! _ she thought.

"Now presenting our lead debutant, Kirsten Elizabeth Nichol, daughter of Caleb and Katherine Nichol."

Kirsten walked out with her father and as Jimmy bowed before her she curtsied. She let go of her father's arm and Jimmy escorted her down onto the dance floor.

"Presenting the 1979 Newport Beach Debutants!"

Everyone started clapping, the music began playing, and the couples started dancing.

As they were dancing, Kirsten looked up to Jimmy, "Hey, thanks for doing this. My escort got sick at the last minute."

"It's no problem," Jimmy told her.

"So where are you from," Kirsten inquired.

"San Diego. My dad got a great promotion, but the one downside was we had to move to Orange County. But I'm hoping things will be good here." Jimmy informed her.

"It's pretty nice here…good place to grow up I guess," Kirsten started. She hesitated for a moment and then said, "Hey, after the fancy party stuff, one of the girls, Courtney, is having a party at her beach house to celebrate. You can come if you want. Probably would be a good way to meet some people before school starts."

"I don't know…I promised my dad I would help him arrange some more stuff in the house…move some furniture in the morning tomorrow…" Jimmy said. Just as he said it, he wondered why he was trying to get himself out of it when his dream girl asked him to come.

"Oh, come on, it will be fun…you can just stay for a little bit if you want. The address is 103 35th Street. And if anyone asks, tell them I invited you," Kirsten told him.

"Okay, you win. I guess I'll come for a little bit, anyway," Jimmy said.

"Great!" Kirsten replied. The song slowly came to an end and the couple broke apart. Kirsten headed toward the table where her family was sitting, silently hoping that Jimmy would join the elite few that she actually enjoyed hanging out with.

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_35th Street actually exists in Newport Beach. I made up the #103…I have no idea if it actually exists or not._


	4. Chapter 3: The Finding

Just wanted to thank all of you who have enjoyed my story so far and given me reviews! I really appreciate it! Now, here's Chapter 3…I hope you enjoy it!

**Chapter 3: The Finding**

Kirsten and Kelly arrived together at Courtney's beach house soon after the ball was over, riding in Matt's car, along with Taryn and her other friend, Amber. Kelly's boyfriend, Matt had volunteered to be the designated driver, since he had an early work shift in the morning.

As soon as they were inside, Kirsten pulled out a full bottle of vodka. "It's time to celebrate!" Kirsten exclaimed.

"Jeez, Kirst! Another full bottle? I think that's the third one this week," Kelly told her.

"My parents have more alcohol than they know what to do with…they'll never miss it," Kirsten said. The truth was, if her father suspected anything, he would probably assume that her mother had drank it, leaving her in the clear.

"How about some margaritas first girls?" Courtney called from the kitchen.

"Sounds good to me!" Kirsten said. "I'll save the bottle for later."

About an hour after Kirsten arrived, Jimmy walked through the front door, seeing that the party was already in full swing. Lots of the girls seemed to be in bikini tops, the music was blasting, and the liquor was obviously flowing. He looked around through the crowds of people when he finally spotted her near the kitchen. She was wearing a blue flowered bikini top and a short jean skirt, and her blond hair had been taken down from the up-do it had been in earlier and looked wavy and flowing. _Man, she looks hot! _Jimmy thought. Just then Kirsten turned towards him and saw him.

"Jimmy!" she yelled across the room. She started walking toward him, stumbling a bit on the way. Jimmy could tell she was already trashed. "I am sooooo glad that you came!" She finally reached him and threw her arms around him and pulled him into a hug. "You want a beer or a marg or something," she asked him.

"I think I'm okay," Jimmy said.

"What, don't you drink?" Kirsten said in a somewhat accusing tone.

"Well, yeah, but I have to drive home, so I wasn't exactly planning on getting trashed," Jimmy told her.

"Come on, just one. You aren't going to get drunk after one or twooo," Kirsten slurred back, holding up two fingers.

"Okay, but just one…I'll take that margarita," Jimmy told her. A few minutes later, Kirsten was back with two drinks in her had, one for him and one for herself.

"Still going strong?" he asked her.

"Oh, I'm just getting' started!" Kirsten yelled out. "Wahoooo!" She turned around and grabbed him. "Come dance with me!" she yelled to him again. And before Jimmy could stop her, she was pulling him toward the dance area.

They started dancing, and after a minute, Kirsten told him, "Hey, I just want to thank you again for tonight, you know for being my escort…I mean you didn't have to…and you were fabulous…and this isn't just the alcohol talking…you were so great…thank you thank you thank you Jimmy Cooper!"

"Like I said before, no problem," Jimmy told her. "I ended up having a good time, so it all worked out for the best." And before he could get out another word, Kirsten stumbled again and Jimmy managed to catch her before she fell. He was leading her toward a chair, when Kirsten looked up and saw Kelly.

"Kellllyyy!" Kirsten yelled. "This is Jimmy Cooper…he was my white knight!"

"I know, Kirst. You introduced us at the ball," said Kelly, who was a bit more sober than Kirsten. She turned toward Jimmy and said, "Nice to see you again. You'll have to excuse Kirsten, she's only slightly intoxicated."

"Hey…I'm nooot that baaad.," Kirsten slurred.

Jimmy laughed. "Nice to see you again too."

After a few hours of the party and Kirsten attempting to introduce Jimmy to all her friends, Jimmy told Kirsten it was time for her to leave.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay, Kirsten?" Jimmy asked.

"Yesss, I will. I have a designated driiiiverrr," Kirsten managed to put together. "Oh, yeah, here's my number, Jimmy Coooooper," she said as she handed him a piece of paper. "Give me a call, will ya."

"Of course," Jimmy smiled, and with that he left.

About an hour and a half later the party was winding down. Kirsten, Kelly, Taryn, and Amber, all quite drunk, piled into Matt's car and he began to drop them off one by one. The first stop at Kelly's house was uneventful. However, at some point in between Kelly and Kirsten's house, Kirsten passed out in the back seat. When they reached the large mansion, Matt put the car in park and opened the back seat to find Kirsten asleep and Taryn and Amber drunkenly giggling about Kirsten passing out again. Matt lifted Kirsten up to carry her to her house and told Taryn and Amber that he would be right back.

As he reached the front door, he carefully set her down, while he started digging through her designer purse for her keys.

_Damn it, Kirsten!_ Matt thought. _Where are your keys?_ He continued rifling through her purse, not finding a thing. He tried the doorknob, just in case it had been unlocked. No such luck. Suddenly he heard the sound of his car horn, and he looked up to find both Amber and Taryn both banging on it repeatedly. _Damn it! Ahh! _Matt propped Kirsten up against the door with her purse in her lap, and ran back to his car to try to stop the girls from hitting the horn, so hopefully Kirsten's parents wouldn't wake up. He finally calmed the girls down and drove off, leaving Kirsten on her front door step.

The blaring car horn woke Hailey Nichol from her deep sleep. _Dang it! They need to be quiet, _Hailey thought. _Probably one of Kirsten's friends or something. _She turned over to the other side of her bed and tried to fall asleep again. But after a few minutes, Hailey was still wide awake.

Jimmy had been lying in his bed for an hour and couldn't sleep. All he could think about was Kirsten Nichol. He decided to get up and go for a walk on the beach to try to clear his head. On the way back up, he saw the street sign for Kirsten's street. _Ocean Palm._ He decided to walk down and look at her house one last time before heading home. As he approached the mansion, he saw a shadow near the door that looked out of place. He went closer to investigate further, and he found it to be Kirsten, passed out and propped up against the door. Jimmy went over to her.

"Kirsten, wake up," he said, shaking her a little. She stirred slightly for a second, but did not wake up. Jimmy picked up her purse and went through it, not finding her keys. Then he saw a small zipper compartment in the purse. He opened it, and it revealed a silver key ring with a small silver heart attached to it and three keys. Two appeared to belong to cars so he tried the third in the door, and the knob slowly turned in his hand, opening the door. Jimmy carefully picked Kirsten up in his arms, and walked as quietly as he could up the stairs, hoping that her room would be up there.

When he reached the top, the stairs split into two hallways. He chose the one on the right, as the one on the left for some reason looked like it led to the master bedroom. He passed doors on either side, and for some reason, none of them seemed like they would lead to Kirsten's room. He didn't want to try a wrong door, for fear it would contain Kirsten's six-year old sister, who would likely be asleep. When he reached the end of the hall, he saw two doors on either side. The one on the right had and a blue wooden star hanging on the door knob from a wire. The other had a red wooden heart hung in the same fashion. _These must be Kirsten and Hailey's rooms, _Jimmy thought. He looked back and forth and finally chose the room with the star, and quietly opened the door.

Hailey crept out of bed when she heard Kirsten's door opening across the hall. She silently cracked her door open and peered into Kirsten's room, revealed by the wide open door. She saw a guy…she couldn't tell if she had seen him before or not…holding Kirsten in his arms. He set her sister on the bed and reached for a blanket on the end of her bed to cover her with. When he finished, he turned to leave, at which Hailey closed the door to her own room, so she wouldn't be seen. She could hear light footsteps as he walked by and a minute later, the light closing of the front door.

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_I know this scene is a little like what happened with in "The Pilot" when Marissa is left passed out in front of the house and Ryan carries her back to the pool house, so I apologize for that…I just really liked the scene and I had to do something similar. And for some reason, I feel like Kirsten's teenage years might have resembled Marissa's in certain ways._

_I made up the street name Ocean Palm._


	5. Chapter 4: The Morning After

**Chapter 4: The Morning After**

Kirsten woke with a start. Light was streaming into her bedroom since the curtains had not been closed the night before. She looked down to find herself under the blanket that was usually at the end of her bed. She lifted it up and saw that she was still in the clothes from the night before…the bikini top and the skirt. Normally, Kirsten didn't wear anything that was that revealing, but she was feeling more risky than normal last night.

_Shit! _Kirsten thought. She had to get changed into her pajamas to look like she at come home alert enough to at least change out of her other clothes before someone came into her room. She jumped out of bed, but as her feet reached the floor, her legs became unsteady beneath her and she had to support herself by grabbing the side of her bed. Simultaneously, her head began to ache tremendously, as the hangover from the night before suddenly hit her. She also somehow still felt slightly drunk.

_Damn it! _she thought. _Definitely shouldn't have had that much to drink._ However, she couldn't remember how much "that much" had even been. She concluded that it was probably one of the highest amounts of alcohol she had ever consumed in one night. She slowly walked toward her vanity and looked at herself in the mirror. She had obviously failed to remove her makeup the night before, which resulted in dark circles under her eyes from the mascara. She quickly removed it and changed into pajamas. It was then that she first looked at the clock. It read 8:09. _Oh, man. Too early to be awake._

So she decided to go back to sleep. As she arranged herself underneath her covers, she tried to piece together the events from the night before, not being able to remember too much a few moments ago. She remembered getting drunk fairly fast…and Jimmy showing up…she might have danced with him, but she really wasn't sure…she vaguely remembered Kelly getting dropped off after the party…but after that her mind was a blank.

_Shit! _she began to think. _How did I even get up to my room? Was I actually awake, but totally out of it that I don't remember? Did I pass out? Shit…and why do I keep seeing an image of Jimmy Cooper crouched over me…_

Sleep overtook her thoughts a few minutes later and she drifted into a calm sleep.

Suddenly Kirsten awoke to Hailey running into her room and practically tackling her on her bed.

"Ahhh! Hailey! Can't you see I'm asleep! Did you ever hear of knocking?" Kirsten yelled at her. Kirsten looked over at the clock. It now read 8:30. _Great…a solid 20 minutes of sleep…_

"Sorry Kiks…I forgot…Anyway, Dad wants you up…we're all going out to breakfast," Hailey informed her.

"Oh, man…Yeah, okay…give me 20 minutes or something to at least look presentable," Kirsten told her sister. Kirsten got out of bed and walked toward her closet to find an outfit to wear.

"Hey Kirsten…" Hailey started. Kirsten turned her head toward her little sister. "Who was the guy that was carrying you last night?"

Kirsten tensed up for a minute. _Guy? Carrying me? Shit, I don't even know what happened…damn it, this is why I shouldn't be doing this stuff…I'm setting a horrible example for Hailey…_

"What are you talking about Hails?" Kirsten said, trying to play it cool.

"I saw a guy carrying you to your room last night…you were asleep I guess…15 minutes before that some car horns woke me up and I couldn't fall back asleep…I heard him going into your room…" Hailey informed her.

_Fuck! I passed out! Ahh, this is not good…car horns…Matt…Matt must have carried me upstairs…_

"Oh, that…I fell asleep during the car ride home…I got a ride from Matt, you know, Kelly's boyfriend…he must have carried up to my room…probably didn't want to wake me up…" Kirsten rambled.

"Oh, okay," Hailey replied, accepting the answer for now. Although she was only going into first grade, Hailey Nichol was already somewhat corrupted by the adult world of Newport Beach…aided to some extent by the actions of her sixteen-year old sister. However, her gut told her that Kirsten's story was not the whole truth, and lately, Kirsten didn't seem to be her usual self. _Something is definitely up, _Hailey decided.

Breakfast with her family seemed to go fairly smoothly. It appeared that Hailey hadn't informed her parents of being carried upstairs by a guy, and Kirsten tried her best to look awake and alert, and not show that her head was throbbing and her stomach nauseous. She had looked very presentable for the outing, wearing a knee length kaki skirt and a collared sleeveless shirt. She didn't particularly enjoy dressing so conservative for family outings, but she knew that her father would say that it would reflect badly on the Nichol family name if she didn't.

Kirsten, however, was in fairly good spirits by the end of the meal, something she normally didn't feel after an outing with her family. Her mother seemed in unusually good spirits, much better than she had in the past month, and Kirsten was hopeful that her mother's binge drinking would be gone for good. And her father seemed in a good mood as well, telling Kirsten that she should invite "James" over for dinner tonight, as a thank you for stepping in to escort Kirsten at the last minute. Kirsten was thrilled at the news, and she hoped that Jimmy would turn out to be a more of a person than most of the shallow people of Newport.

_Jimmy Cooper, _she thought, as she walked down to the beach to meet Kelly for some late afternoon surfing. _There's just something about him…he's actually kind of cute and he seems so nice and caring. _Kirsten found it unusual that she was thinking about Jimmy in this way…normally she didn't allow herself to be totally fixated on boys…she had too much to concentrate on with school, charity work, cheerleading, and her duties as Vice President of Harbor High School, not to mention the family problems she had been facing in the past month more than likely carrying over into the school year. A few guys had tried to get her to go out with them; however, Kirsten had told them all that she was too busy for a boyfriend. But there was something about Jimmy that she couldn't get out of her head…

As she reached the beach, her thoughts were interrupted by Kelly's yelling.

"Hey Kirst!" Kelly yelled to her.

"Hey Kelly," Kirsten replied back as she hugged her best friend.

"So how are you doing after last night…I think you set a new record for amount of alcohol consumed, Kirsten…" Kelly asked.

"I'm actually doing okay now, surprising enough. I had a pretty bad headache earlier, but it's gone…my stomach is still bothering me a little bit I guess, but it's not like it was this morning," Kirsten informed her.

"That's good…So Matt told me you passed out on the ride home…" Kelly began.

"Yeah, I kind of gathered as much…Hailey kind of caught me last night…she saw Matt carrying me up to my room…I made up something about falling asleep and him not wanting to wake me up…I don't know if she bought it…" Kirsten told her.

"Hailey said she saw Matt carrying you up?" Kelly asked.

"Well, she just said "a guy" was carrying me…she didn't know who it was…I just assumed it was Matt…I mean, who else could it have been…" Kirsten said.

"Cuz Matt said that he had to leave you on your doorstep…he couldn't find your keys in your purse and then I guess Taryn and Amber started pushing the car horn so he had to go get them to stop so your parents wouldn't wake up…he was really worried about leaving you there, but he didn't know what else to do…I mean he knew that your dad would kill you both if he knocked on the door…" Kelly rambled.

"Well, you got that right…but this is so freakin weird…because I woke up in my bed this morning, so somehow I got there…who could have carried me up there…did my dad find me…no, he couldn't have…Hailey would have recognized him…jeez, I'm kind of creeped out…well, I guess if the mystery person would have wanted to hurt me or steal something he would have, right? I'm still a little freaked, though," Kirsten went on.

"Yeah, definitely…" Kelly started. "Still up for surfing, Kirst?"

"Of course! Let's go," Kirsten said.

After about two hours of surfing, Kelly and Kirsten headed back up to their houses. As they were walking, Kelly decided to start in on Kirsten about Jimmy Cooper.

"So, Kirst, you seemed to be really clingy on Jimmy Cooper last night," Kelly started.

"I was not!" Kirsten denied. "I just wanted to make sure he wasn't all alone…I mean, he's new and he doesn't know anyone, and since I was the first one to meet him, I thought I could at least hang out with him and introduce him to people, and stuff."

"Uh, huh…right…you were hugging him and dancing with him…and Kirsten, you are not a hugger," Kelly accused.

"I was drunk, Kelly…you know I'm more outgoing when I've had a little liquor," Kirsten stated back.

"Face it, Kirst…you have a thing for Jimmy Cooper…you have a crush on him," Kelly accused again.

"I do not!" Kirsten tried to deny again. Kelly gave her a look, and Kirsten relented. "Okay, maybe a little crush…but nothing more."

"Well, admitting it is the first step," Kelly teased. As the pair approached Kelly's street, Kelly turned to Kirsten, "Bye, Kirst…we'll talk about this more later…don't think I'll let you go with just that."

"Bye Kell," Kirsten called to her best friend before turning and continuing walking toward her house, with her arm wrapped around her surfboard. As she walked up the hill, she saw a figure in the distance that was walking a dog. As she got closer, she realized it was Jimmy Cooper.

"Hi Jimmy!" Kirsten called out as she neared him.

"Hey Kirsten," Jimmy replied.

"Hey, listen, sorry I was a little crazy last night…I'm usually not that bad…honest," Kirsten told him.

"It's okay. I know how those things go," Jimmy told her in an understanding tone.

"Oh, hey, I…well, I guess my dad too…anyway, we were wondering if you wanted to come to dinner tonight…my dad wanted to thank you for stepping in at the last minute to be my escort…and before you say anything, I know from first hand experience that you do not want to refuse Caleb Nichol," Kirsten stated.

"Well, I guess you leave me no choice. I'd love to come to dinner," Jimmy replied.

"Great! You can come over around 6:30, if that's okay. My house is the one at the end of this street. It's 11 Ocean Palm." Kirsten informed him.

"Yeah, I know," Jimmy told her.

Kirsten gave him a funny look and said, "How would you know that…you've never been to my house."

Jimmy panicked for a minute, but managed to think quickly and replied, "Oh, I mean, I've heard about your house, well, with it being the biggest one in the neighborhood and all…" Kirsten looked satisfied with the answer, and Jimmy finished by saying, "So, 6:30 sounds great! I see you soon!"

"See you then!" Kirsten said, trying not to show too much excitement at the news. She turned the corner and made her way home while Jimmy continued on his walk with his golden retriever.

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_I know that it has been stated in OC episodes that Kirsten doesn't like surfing…I'll get to that in later chapters._


	6. Chapter 5: The Starlight

_Just again wanted to thank all my reviewers: OClover1, She Loves Shoes, don't think about it, Cohen-girl, and Ansy Pansy aka Panz. Hope I'm still doing okay! Here's Chapter 5:_

**Chapter 5: The Starlight**

Kirsten was almost finished getting ready for dinner. She tried to convince herself that she wasn't taking this extra time to get ready because of Jimmy, but she knew that was a lie. She was wearing a white tube sundress that had small black flowers printed on it. It wasn't too fancy, yet not too casual either. It looked incredible on her. She topped it off by putting diamond stud earrings into her ears and a fancy silver bracelet around her wrist. Her hair had spiral curls throughout it, but it had a flowing look to it, rather than having rigid, tight curls.

After finishing with her makeup, making sure not to have too much on, she heard the doorbell ring. She rushed downstairs to get it. She opened it to find a very presentable Jimmy Cooper standing at her door. He was wearing kakis and a blue polo shirt. _Perfect,_ she thought. She knew that this would make a good impression on her father, which made Kirsten happy. She had to admit, he looked pretty cute and as he smiled, it made her heart flutter just a bit.

Jimmy stood at the door waiting for an answer to the doorbell he had just rung. A few moments later, Kirsten opened the door. He looked at her for a second. She looked so beautiful in the sundress she was wearing, so elegant and put together. As he looked into her bright blue eyes, he was glad that she spoke to him first, because for a moment, he couldn't seem to speak.

"Hi Jimmy! Come in! I'm so glad you came!" Kirsten exclaimed. She walked him into her house toward the kitchen to meet her parents. As Jimmy walked through the house, he was utterly amazed. Sure his house was big too, but this house was incredible. He could tell that everything in the house was of the best quality and extremely expensive, from the furniture to the paintings on the wall. The ceilings were vaulted and floor beneath his feet was made of marble. As the pair reached the kitchen, Jimmy saw an incredible view of the ocean.

"Mom, Dad," Kirsten began, "This is Jimmy Cooper. Jimmy, these are my parents, Katherine and Caleb Nichol."

"It's a great pleasure to meet you both, Mr. and Mrs. Nichol," Jimmy told them as he shook their hands.

"Oh, please, dear, call me Katherine or Kate," Kirsten's mom replied.

"And call me Caleb or Cal…" Caleb informed Jimmy.

Just then Jimmy looked up to see a little girl with light brown hair and a huge smile on her face bounding into the room from upstairs.

"Aren't you going to introduce me, Kiks," Hailey stated as soon as she reached the room.

"Okay, okay, Hailey, just give me like two seconds…Jimmy, this is my sister Hailey. Hailey this is Jimmy, my escort at cotillion," Kirsten told her.

Hailey grabbed his hand to shake it and said, "Nice to meet you, Jimmy!"

Jimmy had to chuckle at the eagerness of Kirsten's little sister. "Nice to meet you too, Hailey," he replied.

"Kiki, dinner isn't going to be ready for another five minutes," Caleb told her.

"Oh, that's fine, Dad. I was going to give Jimmy a quick tour of the house, anyway," Kirsten said.

"Excellent idea," Caleb replied.

Kirsten led Jimmy toward the backyard first and figured she would then head back into the house to show him that. Hailey tagged close behind. After getting a good look at Jimmy, Hailey thought that she could almost swear that Jimmy was the boy that was carrying Kirsten the other night…but she wasn't totally sure.

After showing Jimmy around the downstairs portion of the mansion, she led him upstairs. Jimmy had nothing but wonderful things to say about the house. It was starting to sound a little bit like kissing up, but Kirsten thought it was cute. The tour was coming to an end when they reached the end of the hallway between Kirsten and Hailey's rooms.

"So these are Hailey and my rooms," Kirsten told him.

But before she could continue, Jimmy turned toward Kirsten's room and blurted out, "Oh, so this is your room."

Kirsten looked at him a little suspiciously. "Yeah, how did you know?" she inquired.

"Oh, just a lucky guess," Jimmy lied, hoping she wouldn't figure out that he had actually been in her room before.

As Hailey listened to the two of them, she had all the proof she needed. Jimmy was definitely the boy that carried her home. She would have to hang this over Kirsten's head later…

Suddenly, Caleb yelled from downstairs, "Kiki! Dinner is ready."

Kirsten, Jimmy, and Hailey promptly filed downstairs one by one and seated themselves at the table.

Caleb took it upon himself to start the conversation at the table. "So, James, tell me a little about yourself. Where are you from and what brings you to Newport?"

"Well, my family and I are from San Diego. My father was awarded a promotion at his work, but consequently we had to move here. He's now an executive vice president of Pacific Life Insurance."

Caleb looked pleased. The boy seemed to come from a family with solid financial security. He continued to prod into Jimmy, "Please continue James."

"Well, let's see, I have an older sister, an older brother, and a younger sister. I play football…I'm a running back and a strong safety…and I also sail and golf," Jimmy told him. It seemed like so far, everything was going well, but he couldn't be sure. He did find it a little strange that Caleb called him James, but if he liked Jimmy, he didn't really care what he was called.

"Oh, that's great!" Katherine Nichol piped up. "You know, Caleb also enjoys sailing. He tries to go out every week if he can."

"Yes, I do. I am a very busy man, though, and I don't go out nearly as much as I should. I will have to take you out, sometime soon on the boat, James," Caleb told him.

"That would be great. I'll look forward to that," Jimmy replied.

Kirsten smiled brightly. It seemed like it had been so long that her family had been getting along so well, and she was amazed and extremely happy that her father and Jimmy seemed to be making a great connection. In fact, it seemed as though her whole family already loved Jimmy. _Finally,_ she thought. _I am actually pleasing them for once lately. _The rest of the meal continued nicely, and after spending a little more time with the Nichols, Jimmy asked Kirsten if she wanted to go on a walk. Kirsten happily agreed.

The pair chatted about everything and anything while they walked. Once they reached the beach, Kirsten turned to Jimmy and said, "So I think my family really likes you. You even impressed my dad, which is no small accomplishment, trust me."

"I'm glad," Jimmy began, "And I hope that they weren't the only ones impressed."

Kirsten was glad it was dark because she was blushing a little bit after the meaning of Jimmy's words set in. "They weren't the only ones," she finally managed to get out.

Jimmy put his arm around her and led her a little closer to the ocean and the two of them sat down in the sand. Finally, Jimmy whispered, "I want to tell you, Kirsten, I really like you…from the moment I met you."

"Me too…" Kirsten said softly.

Slowly Jimmy reached up to her face and touched his hand softly against her cheek and pulled her closer to him. Just as their lips were about to meet, there was a loud yell, "Kirsten!" in the distance. Kirsten turned away and looked to find Hailey approaching them. Kirsten was livid.

"Hailey! What are you doing! Get out of here!" Kirsten screamed at her. "Ahh! Why do you always have to ruin everything!"

Hailey stopped dead in her tracks. She could feel tears forming in her eyes. "S-Sorry Kiks…I didn't mean to," Hailey sniffed. She turned and started walking away.

Kirsten instantly felt regret at being so harsh on her sister. She was only six after all. "Damn it," she sighed. She turned back to Jimmy, "I'm sorry about that…I should go after her…get her back home…I'm sorry."

"Hey, don't worry, I have a younger sister…I know how it goes. Hey, listen, you want to go out this week…on a date," Jimmy said.

"I would absolutely love to, but my family and I are going to be gone for the week in Hawaii…maybe the following week…I'll give you a call when I get back," Kirsten told him.

"Yeah, that's great. See you then," Jimmy stated.

Just as Kirsten turned to leave, she quickly turned back and said, "Hey, Jimmy…thanks for taking me in my house last night."

Jimmy looked stunned for a moment. _How did she know? _"I um…"

"I kind of figured it out…I really appreciate it," she told him. And before Jimmy could get out another word, Kirsten was gone, chasing after Hailey.

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_Pacific Life Insurance is an actual company based in Newport Beach. I do not own it._


	7. Chapter 6: The Bay Club

**Chapter 6: The Bay Club**

SEPTEMBER 2, 1979

NEWPORT BEACH, CA

Kirsten sighed as she sat down behind the counter at the front of the Balboa Bay Club restaurant where she worked as a hostess. It seemed like the last of the people going in for a late lunch had been seated. Work today had been a bit more hectic than usual, considering it was the Sunday before Labor Day. And on top of that, she had just gotten back from Hawaii, so she wasn't quite back into the working mode yet.

Hawaii had turned out to be a fabulous vacation. The Nichol family had stayed at the Kaanapali Resort on Maui. It had been a relaxing five days filled with tanning by the pool and on the beach, spa treatments, snorkeling, and surfing. Kirsten had also managed to get in a little shopping as well during the trip. Katherine Nichol seemed to be staying away from alcohol more these days, which pleased Kirsten immensely. And it was so nice to feel like lately the dynamic of her family was good and she hoped that it continued into the school year.

Kirsten smiled warmly as Matt Dominic walked toward the counter. Her best friend's boyfriend worked as a valet at the club, and sometimes he would come and talk to her during his breaks if a lull was simultaneously occurring.

"Things slow outside?" Kirsten asked him.

"Yeah…plus I had a break, so I thought I'd say 'hi.' So, how was your trip to Hawaii?" Matt asked.

"It was really nice. I had a great time. I only wish we could have stayed longer, but you know my dad…can't take too many days off work…has to be working all the time," Kirsten told him.

Just then, the door of the restaurant swung open and in walked Caleb Nichol, with none other than Jimmy Cooper. Kirsten spotted them and was totally caught off guard. _What are the two of them doing together? _she wondered. _I can't believe- well I guess I can believe my dad would do something like this…but how could he!_

"Kiki! How's work going?" Caleb casually asked her.

"Um, fine, Dad," Kirsten managed to get out, her face still with an expression of total surprise. But she managed to continue, "Dad, you remember Matt Dominic, don't you."

"Yes, of course, Kiki…you remember, I occasionally do business with his father. How are you again, Matt," Caleb asked him.

"Fine Mr. Nichol, and yourself?" Matt answered and asked.

"Good," Caleb replied.

"And Matt and Jimmy, you guys were introduced, right?" Kirsten said, making sure everyone knew each other.

"Yeah, how are you man," Matt stated as he shook Jimmy's hand.

"Not too bad," Jimmy replied.

Before Matt and Jimmy could say anything else, Caleb started in again, "So, Kiki, since it looked like such a great day to sail, I decided to take James out with me. We just got back and thought that some lunch would be in order."

"Sounds great…I'll take you guys to a table with a nice view," Kirsten said. She rose from her chair and walked toward the table with Caleb and Jimmy following close behind them. After she seated them, she told them she had to get back to the front.

When she got back to the counter, Matt was there waiting for her. "So, Kirst, are you and the new boy an item, or something," Matt asked.

"No, no, we're just friends," Kirsten said. _Well, I guess that's not exactly lying since we haven't even been on a date yet,_ she reasoned. She had no intention of discussing any possibility of it being an item with Matt, though. "Um, like a week ago, my father wanted me to have him over for dinner to thank him for being my escort at cotillion at the last minute. It turns out that they both liked sailing…I just didn't expect my dad to invite Jimmy to go sailing so soon…he didn't even tell me he was going to do that."

"Oh, okay, I gotcha," Matt said, not completely buying that there wasn't something going on. But he let it drop for now and changed the subject, "Oh, yeah, Kirst, you are working tomorrow at breakfast, right?" Matt asked.

"Yeah, why?" Kirsten said.

"Well, there's a party at Courtney's tomorrow for Labor Day…starts around noon…you know, some drinks, barbeque, surfing…so since you aren't working then, I figured you'd want to come…you should bring Jimmy, too. He seems like a cool guy," Matt told her.

"Sounds like fun! I'll definitely be there," Kirsten replied.

"Great!" Matt said. "Oh, yeah, and Kirsten, I wanted to apologize for you know, leaving you at your doorstep last week…it was just Taryn and Amber were messing around the horn…and I couldn't find your keys, and…"

"It's okay, Matt," Kirsten said, cutting him off. "I got in okay, don't worry. It was just a bad set of circumstances…next time I won't hide my keys so good…and thanks for making sure I got home in one piece."

"No problem…if it ever happens again, I'll actually get you in the house," Matt told her. He looked at his watch and said, "My break's over…I have to get back out there…see you tomorrow, okay."

"Yeah, see you then," Kirsten said. As Matt was walking back outside, Kirsten spotted Jimmy walking out of the bathroom. "Hey, Jimmy, come here for a sec," she called out to him.

When he reached her, she started again, "Hey, sorry that my dad dragged you along for this whole sailing thing…I mean you don't really even know him, and I promise I did not know he was going to do this or I would have tried to warn-"

"Kirsten, it's okay," Jimmy cut her off. "Believe, it or not, I actually had a good time, I promise."

"You aren't just saying that?" she asked him.

"No, really, I had a good time," Jimmy confirmed.

"Well, I'm glad…I would have envisioned it being a painful experience," Kirsten joked. "Hey Jimmy, Matt was telling me that there's a party at my friend Courtney's house for Labor Day tomorrow…it starts around noon…do you want to go?" she asked him.

"Sure, sounds like a good time," Jimmy replied.

"Oh, yeah, and do you surf at all…because I think we're all going to bring our boards," Kirsten stated.

"Yeah, I actually do…that'll be great…I haven't really had much of a chance to surf here yet…you know with all the unpacking from the move and stuff," Jimmy told her.

"Great, then I'll see you there tomorrow!" Kirsten said excitedly.

"Yeah, see you then," Jimmy told her. He turned and walked back toward the table that Caleb was sitting at.

Kirsten was growing increasingly excited about the party tomorrow, especially after Jimmy said he could come. Just then, Sarah, another hostess at the restaurant, approached her and interrupted her thoughts.

"Hey Kirsten, your shift is over," Sarah told her.

"Okay, thanks, Sarah," Kirsten said. She left the front, and went to the back to clock out before she left. She grabbed her purse out of her locker and left the club to go meet Kelly for a little bit of shopping at Fashion Island.

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_I do not own the Kaanapali Resort located in Maui, the Balboa Bay Club and Resort located in Newport Beach, or Fashion Island located in Newport Beach._


	8. Chapter 7: The Surf

**Chapter 7: The Surf**

It was just after noon when Matt's red jeep rode up to Courtney's beach house, with Kelly, Kirsten, and Jimmy as passengers and all their surfboards secured on the top of the car. Once Matt had parked, the four of them grabbed their stuff and headed to the back side of the house that faced the beach. Upon getting there, they found Brian, one of the guys on the football team, grilling, Courtney nearby blending up margaritas, and about 15 other people eating and talking and starting to head out to the water.

"Hey everyone!" Courtney called out to them as they arrived. "Glad you could make it!"

"Of course! We wouldn't have missed it!" Kelly called back.

Brian turned from his grill and asked, "So, what'll it be…we have hamburgers, hot dogs, or chicken."

"I'll have a hamburger," Matt spoke first.

"Me too," added Jimmy.

"I'll take the chicken," said Kelly.

"And I think I'll go with the hot dog," Kirsten told him.

Brian looked at her for a minute and finally spoke, "I didn't think I would ever hear Kirsten Nichol say she eats hot dogs!"

"Well, one of the many surprising things about me," Kirsten said, laughing.

After the four of them got their food and a margarita each from Courtney, they sat down to eat. Kelly and Matt started talking amongst themselves, so Kirsten turned to Jimmy.

"So, I'm sorry about yesterday…I said I'd call you about that date when I got back from Hawaii, but my dad got to you first," Kirsten said.

"Hey, no problem…I still got to talk to you yesterday, right?" Jimmy said.

"Yeah I guess…so about our date we need to plan…" Kirsten began.

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that…I was thinking this Saturday, you know, the first weekend after school starts," Jimmy told her.

"Sounds great…do you have anything in mind?" Kirsten asked him.

"That's for me to plan and you to find out…it'll be a surprise," Jimmy said.

Kirsten smiled at him and a slight blush crept into her cheeks. She couldn't believe how fast she seemed to be falling for him. After a moment, she continued, "That sounds fantastic! I can't wait."

Kelly turned toward Jimmy and Kirsten and said, "Hey, so you guys want to head out now to the water…the surf's looking pretty good."

"Yeah, sounds good to me…just let me finish my drink," Kirsten said.

A minute later the four of them headed down toward the ocean. Before going in, they all pulled on wet suits, as the ocean water in southern California was never particularly warm. As soon as that was accomplished, they all went running into the waves with their boards.

After about an hour and a half, surfing, Kirsten asked, "Hey guys, want to go in soon…the waves are getting kind of big and I'm getting kind of tired."

"Come on Kirst…tired already," Matt joked with her.

"Stop teasing her, Matt," Kelly told him. She turned back to Kirsten and said, "How about a few more and then we head in?"

"That's good…what about you, Jimmy," Kirsten asked.

"Yeah, I'm good with that," Jimmy said.

As the next set approached them, Kelly caught the first wave beautifully, riding it all the way into shore before stepping off her board and heading in. Jimmy caught the next one and managed to ride in the barrel of the wave, before breaking out of it, and riding toward shore. Matt caught an even larger wave than the two previous ones, riding it fairly well, until it collided with another wave coming from the opposite direction at which point he fell off his board. He got up and picked up the board to head in.

Kirsten let the next wave of the set go, and was a bit too late catching the following wave, at which point Kelly yelled, "Kirsten, come on! Let's go!"

Kirsten turned to look at the incoming waves and the next one looked perfect…maybe a little big, but she was feeling rather confident. As it approached her, she began paddling toward the shore as fast as she could and then began her transition to stand up on the board. As she was doing this, though, she realized that she wasn't as far ahead of the wave as she needed to be, but it was too late. As the wave crashed, Kirsten and her board began to head over the falls of the wave, causing Kirsten to fall head first off her board toward the bottom with her board trailing in after her. As she was being thoroughly jostled around by the wave and trying to find her way to the surface to get a breath of air, she felt excruciating pain as a sharp object slammed into the back of her head. Then all went black.

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She began to hear a constant beeping noise in the background, which grew louder as she woke up. She slowly opened her eyes, trying to make sense of her unfamiliar surroundings. As she looked to one side, she spotted her father, who at the site of her moving turned to her mother and said something to her. Katherine Nichol smiled with a few tears running down her cheeks and grabbed Kirsten's hand gently before going out the door. It almost looked like things were moving in slow motion.

She heard her father say to her, "Thank God, you're all right, Kiki! I was really worried."

Kirsten tried to answer him for a moment, but then realized she couldn't due to the tube that was down her throat, and simultaneously she began to feel a dull pain at the back of her head. Suddenly she finally realized where she was. A hospital.

Memories of her surfing accident came flooding back to her all at once. The gasping for air as she was held under by the force of the wave. The pain she felt as she was hit on the back of the head. The momentary feeling that she might not make it. The heart monitor began to beep faster as Kirsten's emotions were stirred by the memories.

"Calm down, Kirsten. You're okay now," Caleb told her.

Kirsten looked up to see the door open and a doctor entered, followed by her mother and sister. The doctor quickly glanced at her chart and turned to Kirsten and said, "Glad to see you've woken up, Kirsten. My name is Dr. Bentley and I've been treating you since you arrived. You gave us quite a scare for a little while. Well, it looks like we can remove your breathing tube. How about that?"

Kirsten nodded her head and Dr. Bentley continued, "Okay, Kirsten, on the count of three, I want you to blow out as hard as you can, okay? One, two, three," and with that, Dr. Bentley pulled out the tube and once it was out, Kirsten began coughing and then regained her normal breathing.

"So, Kirsten, do you remember what happened?" Dr. Bentley asked her.

"Yeah, I think so…I was surfing and I was about to ride my last wave and head in for a while…three of my friends had just rode in and they were waiting for me…um, I tried to catch a big wave, but at the last minute, I realized I wasn't in position…I fell off my board, went over the falls, and I got hit in the head…that's all I remember," Kirsten told him.

"Yes, very good. You were hit in the head with the scag of your surfboard. It made a large gash on the lower part of your head and onto your neck. We stitched it up and it will be fine, although you might have a headache for awhile since you sustained a concussion in the blow. You had to be rescued by the lifeguard…you were breathing when you were pulled in, but it was very shallow…that's why we put the tube in. All the injuries you sustained will heal, no problem…you are lucky Kirsten, it could have been a lot worse," Dr. Bentley said.

_Why don't I feel very lucky right now, then,_ Kirsten thought. "Yeah, I'm sure it could have been worse."

"Oh, sweetheart! I'm so glad you're okay!" Katherine told Kirsten.

"Me too, Mom. Sorry I worried you so much," Kirsten told her.

"I'm just glad that you are going to be fine!" Katherine assured her.

Hailey approached Kirsten then and said, "I'm glad you are okay, Kiks! I don't know what I would do without you!" Hailey got closer and threw her arms around Kirsten.

Kirsten hugged her sister back. "Oh, don't worry, Hails…I won't be leaving you anytime soon…I promise."

"Mr. and Mrs. Nichol, I need to do a few more tests on Kirsten, so you will need to leave for a few minutes…I know there are some visitors waiting for her…you can send them in one by one in about five minutes," the doctor told them.

"Very, well. Kiki, we'll be back soon, okay," her father told her.

"Okay," Kirsten replied, and with that, her family turned to leave.

Kelly looked up from her chair as she heard footsteps coming down the hall, but it turned out just to be another nurse. She had been sitting in the waiting room with Matt and Jimmy for almost 5 hours, hoping Kirsten would wake up soon. When Kirsten was first brought in, Kelly had been hysterical and Matt was doing all he could to try to keep her calm. Finally, she had settled down a bit when she knew that Kirsten was going to be okay…but she still had an uneasy feeling and she knew it wouldn't go away until her best friend woke up.

A second later she looked over and saw the Nichols coming through the entrance to the waiting room. Mrs. Nichol approached the three of them and said, "Kirsten is awake, you guys. She's going to be fine. You guys can go see her one at a time in a few minutes…but you need to keep the visits short for now."

Kelly smiled a great sigh of relief and felt Matt's arms come around her and embrace her in a hug. She didn't know what she would have done if something more serious had happened to Kristen.

Kirsten was trying to sit herself up a little better when she heard the door creak open and she saw Kelly enter.

"Kirst, I'm so happy you're alright!" Kelly said as she hugged Kirsten carefully. "How are you feeling?"

"Surprisingly, not too bad, although I think it has something to do with the pain killers they've been pumping into me. They want me to stay over night for observation and then I can go home tomorrow morning. I have to wear this bandage thing on my head until Wednesday. But it's not so bad…nothing that won't heal, anyway," Kirsten informed her.

"That's really good! I'm not going to lie, Kirsten…you scared the shit out of me. I mean there was so much blood and I wasn't sure if you were breathing and-"

"It's okay, Kelly. I'm okay. I'm sorry for scaring you so bad…I'll be more careful in the future," Kirsten said, cutting her off.

"It's not your fault at all, Kirst! I just don't know what I'd do without you, you know," Kelly told her.

"Well, no need to worry about me anymore…I'm going to be fine…thanks for waiting and making sure I was alright and everything, Kell…and for the record, I don't know what I would do without you either," Kirsten said.

Kelly hugged Kirsten again and then turned when she heard the door opening.

"Hey, Kirsten. How are you feeling," Matt asked, standing in the doorway.

"Actually, not too bad…a bit of a headache, but nothing major," Kirsten said. "By the way, thanks for coming and waiting and everything, Matt."

"Hey, no problem…Just wanted to make sure you were alright…it looked pretty bad when they brought you up on the beach. I'm just glad things turned out not to be too bad, you know," Matt told her. Matt turned to Kelly and back to Kirsten and began again, "We should probably get going, Kirsten and let you rest…I hope you keep feeling better, Kirsten."

"Yeah, feel better, Kirst…And I'll call you tomorrow afternoon and see how you're doing," Kelly said.

"Thanks again, guys!" Kirsten said as they turned to go out the door. As soon as the couple left the doorway, she spied Jimmy entering her room. This brought a bright smile to Kirsten's face. She was secretly hoping that he would be waiting for her too, but she had told herself not to give her hopes up…I mean what was she thinking…it's not like she actually knew him that well after all. But upon seeing him standing there, she knew that she had now totally fallen for him.

"Hey Kirsten…how are you feeling?" Jimmy asked her.

"Okay…you know, considering…" she trailed off. "I guess my throat is getting a little sore for talking since I that tube down it for awhile."

"Oh, well, then I won't keep you," Jimmy said, turning away.

"No, no!" Kirsten said, practically yelling. "I mean, I didn't say that to make you leave…" she stammered.

As he turned back, there was a small smile creeping to his face. "I know…I just wanted to see what your reaction would be," he said, starting to laugh.

"You jerk!" she joked playfully and threw one of the pillows she wasn't using at him, hitting him square in the face.

"Well, I guess you obviously are okay," Jimmy said, laughing. "Okay, for real, I should probably let you rest…we were suppose to keep our visits short…I'm glad to see you are okay, and I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Yeah, soon…And Jimmy, thanks again for waiting to see if I was okay," Kirsten told him.

"Of course…it was no problem at all." And with that, he headed out the door.

Kirsten closed her eyes, trying to keep her mind on happy thoughts of Jimmy Cooper. But as she drifted off to sleep, these happy thoughts were suddenly invaded by ones of pain, of her accident…

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_Yeah, so I just thought this might be a more interesting reason why Kirsten doesn't surf than because she doesn't like the fish in the ocean…thanks again for all the reviews!_


	9. Chapter 8: The First Day

**Chapter 8: The First Day**

SEPTEMBER 6, 1979

NEWPORT BEACH, CA

Kirsten stood in front of the mirror, putting the final touches on herself before the first day of school. She was wearing a thin white lace top with sleeves that ended just slightly past her shoulder along with a denim mini skirt. On her feet, she donned new tan platform sandals that gave her an extra three inches in height. Kirsten knew that her father wouldn't particularly approve of the outfit, but he had already left for work, so she knew she was in the clear. Strands of her blond hair had been curled into loose spiral curls all throughout her head. She had been careful to arrange her curls strategically in order to hide the remnants of her surfing accident that had occurred just a few days before. A small section of her hair in the lower part of the back of her head had to be shaved off in order for the doctor to insert the stitches, which were still present. She turned her head once more and was satisfied when she couldn't see any of her stitches. On her face, she wore brown eyeliner and natural looking eyeshadow, along with a gloss over her lips.

Kirsten looked over at the clock and realized it was time to leave for school. _School_, she thought. _Man that sounds weird…and so another year at Harbor High begins. _She wasn't particularly looking forward to the first day of school…especially because she knew everyone would be talking about her "brush with death" from her surfing accident, which she didn't really want to talk about anymore. But the one thing she was looking forward to was seeing Jimmy again, and that was enough to put a smile on her face. And with that she grabbed her bookbag, headed downstairs, and drove off in her brand-new red Volkswagen Super Beetle convertible. Her father had wanted to get her a more expensive car for her sixteenth birthday, like a Mercedes or BMW, but Kirsten had insisted on the red Beetle. It was so much more fun than a super expensive luxury car and she was glad that her father had finally agreed to it.

Upon getting out of her car in the parking lot of Harbor High School, Kirsten spotted Kelly a few cars down. Kelly came towards Kirsten, gave her a quick hug with a quick 'hey,' and the pair started walking out of the parking lot towards school.

Kelly slowly broached the subject of the accident and said, "So are you feeling any better, after, you know?"

"Yeah, I guess so…" Kirsten hesitated for a second and continued, "I keep having these nightmares about the accident…it seems like they are getting continually less vivid and violent, but still…"

"Jeez, I'm sorry, Kirst! Anything I can do?"

"Not really…I guess it's something that has to go away on its own…And the other thing is, I know everyone's going to be talking about it," Kirsten told her.

"No they won't…there's so much gossip in this freakin town…there's got to be something else that happened, some scandal or something," Kelly assured her.

Just then Taryn and Courtney approached the two of them. "So, Kirsten, how's the head…I'm so sorry that happened to you…I heard you almost died or something," Taryn told her.

Kirsten bit her lip to keep from saying something she might regret. She instead tried to convince herself that they were genuinely sympathetic and answered, "I'm doing fine…it really wasn't that bad."

"Maybe it was those margaritas…have a few too many before you went out surfing, Kirsten?" Courtney started in on her.

Kirsten was doing all she could to contain herself. _Where did they even get the nerve? _she thought. Just when she was about to say something, Kelly stepped in, "Stop it you guys…just leave her alone…she's had a long week…and for the record, she only had one margarita, definitely not enough to be the cause of the accident…I mean, she went over the freakin falls of the wave!" Kelly paused for a moment to catch her breath, and continued, "And you too are ones to talk…it looked that you both had knocked back a few too many already when we got to the beach house!"

"Jeez, Kelly…take it easy…we were just joking around," Taryn said, trying to defend herself and Courtney.

"Well, see you two later…sorry Kirsten…I, um sorry," Courtney told them as she and Taryn walked in the other direction.

"What did I tell you…everyone's talking about me," Kirsten told Kelly.

"That was just two people," Kelly said. Kirsten gave her a look and Kelly relented, "Okay, okay, you're right."

"Courtney's already probably spread a rumor that 'Kirsten Nichol drank too much before she went out surfing and that's why she got in an accident,'" Kirsten said.

"Well you and I both know it's not true…I'm sure something else will happen in a few days and all will be forgotten," Kelly said reassuringly.

"I can only hope. Do you think I could get off on an insanity defense if I killed Taryn and Courtney right now?" Kirsten asked.

"I think most juries would see it that way," Kelly said laughing. Just then, Kelly spotted Jimmy Cooper from a distance and decided to move onto another, much more interesting subject, "So, Kirst…it's time for the truth…what's going on with Jimmy Cooper…we still haven't had a chance to talk about this…and I mean, the guy just met you and he waited like five hours in that hospital for you to wake up."

Kirsten blushed slightly at the mention of Jimmy, a blush which Kelly noticed. Kirsten took a second to compose her thoughts, and said, "Well, you know he came over for dinner with my family…and afterwards we went on a walk…and he kind of told me he liked me…and we ALMOST kissed, but stupid Hailey interrupted us."

Kelly smiled with excitement, "Wow, Kirst! I'm so happy for you! Sorry about Hailey, though…that's gotta suck."

"You have no idea. Anyway, he's taking me out on a date this Saturday…a surprise date!" Kirsten said, starting to get excited as she spoke the words.

This sent Kelly over the edge, "Yay Kirsten! I am so excited right now for you. That is so great!"

All Kirsten could do at the moment was smile. She hadn't felt this happy about the possibility of something fun and exciting happening to her for a long time. In the distance, she noticed Jimmy and started to call out for him.

Jimmy was trying to make his way through his new school. _Man, trying to find your way around has got to be the worst thing about changing schools_, he thought. Suddenly he heard his name being called and he looked up to see Kirsten standing with Kelly, yelling at him.

"Hey you two!" Jimmy called as the gap closed between them. "How's it going?"

"Pretty good!" they both answered simultaneously, at which Jimmy just laughed.

"Good, I'm glad. Hey I was wondering, do either of you know where Mrs. Hinamin's US history class is…I'm kind of having some trouble…" Jimmy said, feeling totally lost.

"Well, you are in luck! I have her first period too! Come on and we'll walk together," Kirsten told him.

"Okay, I'll let you two go…I have class this way…Have a good day and I'll catch up with you guys later," Kelly said, walking in the other direction.

"Bye Kell!" Kirsten called.

"Bye!" Jimmy exclaimed.

Kirsten and Jimmy began walking to their class, when Jimmy asked, "So, I was wondering, considering the accident and all, if you were still up for the date on Saturday, because we could do it anot-"

"Jimmy," Kirsten started, cutting him off. "The date on Saturday would be great, as long as the offer still stands."

"Of course!" Jimmy said, hoping he didn't sound too excited.

"Honestly, Jimmy, this date is the only thing I have been looking forward to all week, especially after the accident and all…I'm excited for it!"

"Me too!" Jimmy said as they entered the classroom.

The pair sat in desks next to each other just as the bell rang for classes to begin. _I think this is going to be a good year_, Kirsten thought to herself. Ironically, Jimmy was thinking the exact same thing at the same time.

Mrs. Hinamin started off the first US history class of the year, "Hello class. As you know, I am Mrs. Hinamin, and today we will begin class by taking roll…"


	10. Chapter 9: The Big Date

**Chapter 9: The Big Date**

Kirsten had finished getting ready for her big date with Jimmy a little earlier than she had initially planned and was seated on her window seat and watching for him out her window that faced the driveway. She was wearing a knee length halter sundress that came up high in the front and tied around her neck, exposing her entire upper back. The dress was a bright blue and teal pattern that complemented her blonde hair and blue eyes nicely. She had curled her hair in the usual spiral curls, but managed to make them more spiraled and formal looking than they did when she went to school. The stitches had been removed from the back of her head earlier that day, and she managed to cover up the section with the missing chunk of hair without too much of a problem. Her makeup had been applied a bit more heavily for the evening than it ever was during the day, but it was not over the top by any means. A blue designer purse sat beside her on the window seat with a bathing suit in it in addition to its normal contents. Jimmy had told her to bring a bathing suit with her, but he wouldn't tell her why. Kirsten was a little suspicious of his intentions, but decided to go along with it anyway.

Her attention from her window was turned away by Hailey swiftly opening the door and slamming it closed. "Wow, Kiks! You look so pretty!"

"Thanks, Hailey," Kirsten told her.

"I bet Jimmy will think you look pretty too," Hailey continued.

Kirsten blushed as her sister said this and Hailey began talking again, "I bet he wants to kissss you."

"Hailey, stop it!" Kirsten said defensively.

"Kirsten and Jimmy, sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Hailey taunted.

"Hailey!" Kirsten was yelling now. These were the times when she hated having a sister who was 10 years younger than her.

"First comes love, then comes marriage, then com-" Hailey suddenly stopped as Kirsten started chasing her around the room and managed to tackle her on the bed.

Naturally, right at this moment, Caleb entered the bedroom and yelled, "Girls! What is going on in here!" Kirsten jumped off Hailey at the sound of her father's voice. "Kiki! What on earth are you doing tackling Hailey!"

Kirsten said nothing for a second, while Hailey's face had turned from a teasing one to a scared one. Then, finally Kirsten said, "She was making fun of me." Just as she said it, she knew how it sounded. So incredibly immature. But somehow Hailey knew exactly how to push Kirsten's buttons to piss her off, and at times Kirsten couldn't stop herself from fighting with Hailey.

"Kirsten, honestly, you know Hailey's only six and you are sixteen…you have to act more mature than that!" Caleb chided her. Just then the doorbell rang. Kirsten went to grab her purse and Caleb continued, "We'll have to talk about this later." Kirsten said nothing and continued walking toward the door. "Have fun, Kiki," he added at the last minute.

"Thanks," Kirsten mumbled as she exited the room. She walked down the stairs carefully in order to avoid tripping in her platform sandals. Kirsten pulled open the large door, which revealed Jimmy Cooper with a small bouquet of white roses in his hand. He was dressed in khaki pants with a blue button down shirt, and a small grin on his face. "Hey!" he managed to say at last. "These are for you," he said and handed the flowers to her.

Kirsten smiled brightly at the gesture, forgetting all about the confrontation with Hailey. "Thank you so much, Jimmy. I'm just going to go put them in some water really quick. And then we can go."

Kirsten was back in a flash and Jimmy put his arm around her and led her to his black Ford Mustang Cobra. He opened the door for her, and she got in the car while he went around to the driver's side and got in himself. He backed out of the driveway carefully and drove down the street on their way to their first destination.

"So where are we going first?" Kirsten asked him.

"If I told you, then it wouldn't be a surprise, then would it," Jimmy told her.

Fifteen minutes later Jimmy pulled his car off Pacific Coast Highway, into the valet entrance for Villa Nova, a fine dining Italian restaurant right on the water of the Newport Bay. When Kirsten realized they were eating there, she was thrilled. She remembered eating there once, a long time ago with her parents, before Hailey was born. But contrary to popular belief, the Nichols didn't really eat out that much as a family. Sure they would throw the most extravagant parties, but those were all catered. And for their everyday meals, Kirsten's mom would usually cook, as she had the talent of being quite a remarkable chef.

The pair entered the restaurant after the valet took the car to park it. As they approached the front counter, Jimmy spoke to the hostess, "Hi, I have a reservation for two. Jimmy Cooper."

"Okay, here you are," the hostess said, checking them off the list. "If you'll follow me this way, I'll show you to your table."

As Jimmy and Kirsten followed the hostess, Kirsten glanced around the restaurant to take in her surroundings. She instantly loved the Italian decorum of the restaurant. The design was romantic and elegant, but not overly fancy. The hostess seated them at a table with a fantastic view of the harbor. _Perfect_, Kirsten thought. _This is so incredibly perfect._ Perfect, the thing that Kirsten often found herself striving the greatest to be; the thing everyone, especially her father, expected her to be.

Jimmy looked over at Kirsten. She looked as though she was enjoying herself immensely already, which put him at ease a bit. Honestly, he had been a little nervous about taking Kirsten out, seeing as she was the daughter of the richest man in Newport, but her actions thus far confirmed to him that she really did want to go out with him.

"So, I've been meaning to ask you…have you been feeling better since the accident," Jimmy asked her.

"Yeah, you know, it's getting better…got the stitches out of my head this morning…um, can we talk about something else," Kirsten sighed. She was really getting sick of talking about the surfing accident, especially when the memories were still haunting her in her sleep.

"Yeah, sure…I'm sorry…didn't mean to bring that up," Jimmy told her.

"No big deal," Kirsten told him. Just as she finished her sentence, the waiter arrived at the table to take their orders. Kirsten decided to order the chicken fettuccine alfredo, while Jimmy opted for linguine with pesto sauce. He was pleasantly surprised that Kirsten had ordered such a large meal instead of some salad that all girls seem to order with the excuse of needing "to watch their weight."

"So, I was thinking…since you have met my family and all…I was thinking you could tell me a bit about yours," Kirsten inquired of Jimmy.

"Well, I guess it's only fair…my parents names are John and Aimee…I think I mentioned that he works in the insurance business…um, my older sister, Ashley, is 23 and engaged to be married to a guy named Michael Shepard. The wedding is going to be in the spring. She's is the epitome of a girly-girl. My older brother, Jack, is 21 and is starting his senior year at USC. He likes to joke around a lot and is really into sports and stuff. And my younger sister, Allie or 'Al' I guess she wants to be called these days, is 13 years old. She's in eighth grade and kind of going through this punk phase right now…but she's a good kid…we get along pretty well. I'm sure you will get to meet them all eventually."

"It must be so nice to have siblings that are close in age with you…I always wished that I had an older brother or sister, or even a younger one that was closer in age with me than Hailey is…I mean, don't get me wrong, I love Hailey, and I know as we get older the age gap will lessen, but she's so young…it's not like I can really have a serious conversation with her or anything," Kirsten said.

"Yeah, I bet that would be hard. I'm guess really lucky…to be close with my siblings…and that my family gets along so well together…it's great," Jimmy told her. Kirsten grew slightly jealous as he told her about how great his family was. _Why can't my family be as close as Jimmy makes his sound_, she thought. She decided it was time to move to a new subject and get off this family talk.

"So, Jimmy, big football game next Friday…do you think you guys are ready?" Kirsten asked him.

"Oh, I think we're pretty good to go…a few touch-ups here and there, but I think we're pretty set. We should have a good team this year…Matt at quarterback, Brian and Scott at wide receiver…"

"Aren't you starting at running back," Kirsten asked.

"Yeah…and I think I'm also going to play some at strong safety on defense," Jimmy told her.

"I look forward to seeing you play," Kirsten said.

"So are you cheerleaders ready to put on a good show for the first game," Matt returned the question.

"Oh, we're always ready to give a good show," Kirsten stated.

"Can't wait to see this great show…with you in your little cheerleading outfit."

"Be careful there Casanova…you better be paying attention to your game and not to us to make sure you win…otherwise, there won't be much cheering going on," Kirsten joked.

Jimmy laughed at her comment and promised, "Okay, focus, game, check. I can't promise you I won't try to sneak some looks though."

"I guess that can be overlooked."

A minute later, their food was brought to them by their waiter and the pair continued to talk about everything from Jimmy's life down in San Diego, to the best places to go surfing, to disastrous family trips. There wasn't any silence at the table, save when they both happen to be taking bites of their pasta at the same time.

After their meal was finished and paid for and the valet had brought the car back to them, Jimmy and Kirsten got in the car and headed to their next destination.

"That was really great, Jimmy…the food, the atmosphere, everything," Kirsten told him.

"I'm really glad you enjoyed it."

"So now where?" Kirsten asked.

Jimmy started laughing. "Do you not know the definition of 'surprise' or something?" he joked.

"Well, thought I'd give it a try anyway."

After driving for about ten minutes back the way they had driven to the restaurant, it seemed to Kirsten like Jimmy was driving back toward home. After turning into the gate of their community, Kirsten's suspicions were confirmed.

"Jimmy, are you taking me home already? Did my dad pay you or something to get me back early, 'cause if he-"

"Kirsten," Jimmy interrupted, "We're not going to your house." Kirsten gave him a suspicious look. "I promise," he reinforced.

As the car approached Kirsten's street, she half expected him to turn in, but instead he kept going up and slowed down to turn onto a street two up from hers called Elmgrove. He pulled into a long driveway and Kirsten noticed a fancy sign stuck in the front yard that read '5 Elmgrove.'

"So, I take it you live here," Kirsten said.

"Great detective work, Captain Obvious," he joked.

Kirsten gave him a playful slap and said, "Okay, okay, it was obvious. You enjoy giving me a hard time, don't you?"

"Immensely," Jimmy chuckled.

Jimmy led Kirsten out of the car and into his house. His house wasn't quite as big as hers was, but still quite large and extremely nice. It had vaulted ceilings, great big beams and moldings and Kirsten instantly loved it.

As he started to show her around the house, Kirsten asked, "So do I get to meet any of the family members?"

"Ah, well, no one's home right now…my parents went down to San Diego to have dinner with some friends and my sister is at a sleepover tonight."

"You better not be trying to pull anything, Jimmy Cooper," she said.

"Nothing that isn't normal first date stuff," Jimmy said. She gave him a look and he said, "I swear!"

"Just giving you a hard time…see how you like it for a change," she said laughing.

"Okay, point taken," he laughed. "Here, let me show you the backyard."

Jimmy led Kirsten through the back door to the backyard, and an utterly gorgeous sight was revealed to her. Like her own backyard, Jimmy's had a pool. However, Jimmy's also had elaborate tropical landscape surrounding it and the pool was equipped with it's own water slide and water fall. The path up to the top of both of them was lined with large rocks and the slide tunnel itself looked as though it had been carved out of the rock. To the right of the top entrance to the water slide was the top of the waterfall. Kirsten's eyes traveled down the falling water and realized that the jacuzzi was underneath the waterfall. The scattered palm trees surrounding the pool were the center pieces of the tropical scenery.

In addition to these permanent fixtures, there were small white twinkle lights hung all around the backyard and in the palm trees and plants. Five tiki torches were strategically placed to provide proper illumination. It looked like something out of a dream, a sort of magical, romantic place that almost took Kirsten's breath away.

"Oh, Jimmy…it, it's beautiful," Kirsten told him. Then she chuckled, "So this is what the bathing suit was for."

"Yeah…now isn't this so much better as a surprise," Jimmy told her.

"Definitely. I'm going to go get changed," Kirsten told him.

Kirsten and Jimmy swam in the pool for a good hour, jumping off the top of the waterfall, going down the slide, and laughing the entire time. Kirsten thought that it was possibly one of the happiest moments she remembered experiencing. She was having such a great time with Jimmy and she couldn't help but becoming increasingly excited about what the future would hold.

"Hey, Kirst, why don't you go in the jacuzzi…I'll be right back," Jimmy told her.

"Okay," Kirsten replied.

A few minutes later Jimmy returned with two bowls in his hand. They each had a warm homemade brownie topped with three scoops of vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream. Jimmy handed her one of the bowls.

"Oh my God! This is soooo good!" Kirsten exclaimed between bites.

"I'm glad you like it," Jimmy told her.

After finishing the ice cream, Jimmy move closer to Kirsten, placed one arm around her petite body, and pulled her closer to him. Kirsten closed her eyes for a second, taking in the moment. She opened them again, and turned her head towards Jimmy and said, "I had a really good time tonight, Jimmy…everything was just perfect…I couldn't be any happier."

As Kirsten spoke, their faces seemed to move closer together, and after she was finished, Jimmy replied in almost a whisper, "I'm glad…I had a great time too."

At this point, Jimmy closed the gap between them and their lips met in a soft kiss. Then Jimmy placed his hand behind Kirsten's head, stroking his hand through her wet locks of hair and pulled her even closer, deepening the kiss. After what seemed like an eternity, they broke apart, although their faces were still close together. Kirsten had a slight grin on her face and she was staring into Jimmy's eyes. He kissed her again and then they just sat in the jacuzzi, Kirsten resting her body against Jimmy as he held his arm around her…

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_I do not own Villa Nova, an actual restaurant located on PCH in Newport Beach. _

_I know Kirsten and Jimmy had their first kiss at Jimmy's house on Elmgrove (from The Model Home) so I hope having it in the jacuzzi counts._

_Hope you all still like it and I will try to update soon!_


	11. Chapter 10: The Homecoming

**Chapter 10: The Homecoming**

_From now on, a lot more time will elapse between chapters…_

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OCTOBER 19, 1979

NEWPORT BEACH, CA

"…And Harbor High's quarterback, Matt Dominic, gets the last play of the game off before time expires. He pump fakes and curls back around to hand off the ball to running back, Jimmy Cooper, the transfer from University of San Diego High School. Cooper manages to find a hole to run through…and he's broken free from the defense! It doesn't look like anyone is going to catch him. And he is going all-the-way! Harbor beats cross-town rival Pacific in their own homecoming football game 23-21 on a fabulous play by Dominic and Cooper! What a game!" the announcer exclaimed, his voice filling the stadium and bringing the cheering fans to their feet.

"Wahoooo! Yeah Jimmy! Yeah Harbor!" Kirsten yelled along with the other cheerleaders, throwing her arms up in the air with her maroon and white palm-palms. Harbor had just won their sixth straight game in a row and more importantly, had beaten Pacific in the Homecoming game and Kirsten was ecstatic, especially since her boyfriend was the hero of the game. She had been dating Jimmy Cooper ever since they had their first date over a month ago, and right now, life couldn't have been better for her.

As Kirsten was cheering her heart out over the victory, she saw Jimmy running toward her and she starting running towards him. He lifted her off her feet into a hug and proceeded to twirl her around in excitement. He set her down and then proceeded to kiss her firmly on the lips.

"I'm so excited for you, Jimmy! You played awesome!" Kirsten told him after they had broken from their kiss.

"Thanks Kirst!" Jimmy said and then kissed her again.

As they broke apart again, Brian yelled over, "Hey Coop! Great game! Coach wants us in the locker room…you know, post-game meeting..."

Jimmy turned back to Kirsten and said, "I'll catch up with you later, then…Courtney's beach house?"

"Yeah, I'll see you there," Kirsten said and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before he turned to leave.

Kirsten watched Jimmy for a second as he jogged away from her to join his teammates. She smiled to herself and she whiled around to find Kelly standing right behind her.

"So, it looks like things are still going well with Jimmy," Kelly stated.

"Yeah, so far so good…hopefully everything will go smoothly with the dance tomorrow…I really like him and I just want the first dance together to go okay."

"Oh, Kirst! I'm really happy for you two! You make such a perfect couple!" Kelly said and then proceeded to hug Kirsten. "And don't worry about a thing…the dance will be fine."

"Thanks Kell," Kirsten replied. "So off to Courtney's?"

"To Courtney's we go!" Kelly stated.

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An hour later, the party was in full swing at Courtney's beach house. Everyone was excited about Harbor's victory, especially the football players, who were celebrating with lots of kegs and liquor.

Kirsten was taking it fairly easy that evening. She had tried to take her drinking down a notch from what it had been last summer, not wanting to let herself get out of control. She had begun thinking more about how her own mother's drinking habits had been a bit out of control for about a month during the summer. Although Kate Nichol was drinking less recently, Kirsten still decided that she didn't want to end up that way her mother had been during the summer.

Kirsten shivered slightly; she was wearing a white halter top with jeans, but had forgotten to bring a jacket and was not planning on drinking herself one that night. Just then she felt something slide over her shoulders and she turned around to find Jimmy putting his letterman jacket on her.

"You were looking cold…" he explained.

"Thanks," she said and kissed him softly.

"I'm going to get a beer…do you want anything?" Jimmy asked her.

"No thanks…I'm set for the evening," she said and held up her plastic glass filled with a low strength margarita, the only drink she was going to have that night…

A few hours later, Kirsten finally decided that it was time to head out. She knew that Jimmy was way beyond gone and she should probably get him home. _My how the tables have turned,_ she thought, considering that a few months ago, she was the one who was drunk all the time.

"Jimmy, ready go?" she asked.

Jimmy turned around to face her, his face a little flushed from all the alcohol he had drank in the past few hours. "Kiiirsten!" he yelled. "Go home…whada you mean…the partay is just starting!"

"Jimmy, the party is winding down…we really should go," Kirsten told him.

"Um, okay, I'll take you home," he said as he started stumbling toward her.

Kirsten almost laughed, "Jimmy, first of all, you are completely wasted so you wouldn't be driving any way…and second, you didn't drive your car here."

"I didn't drive here?" he slurred.

"Nope. Come on, let's go," and with that, Kirsten put his arm around him in attempt to guide him out to her car and prevent him from stumbling. She managed to get him into the front seat and proceeded to drive them home.

Once Kirsten reached Jimmy's house, she pulled over and stopped the car. Jimmy turned to her and said, "Thanks Kirst!"

"Yeah, of course," Kirsten said and then proceeded to lean in to kiss him. The kiss was soft at first but grew more passionate. Finally Kirsten had to pull away and chuckle to herself. Jimmy's kissing abilities definitely diminished when he was drunk, but she decided that teasing him at this point might not be the wisest thing…he would deny it and probably try to prove it again and end up giving her a sloppier kiss.

"Well, I better go in," Jimmy started. Then his voice started to escalate as he continued, "Gotta be stealth!"

"Then you should probably start by not yelling," Kirsten laughed.

"Right, silent," he said whispering.

"I'll call you tomorrow, Jimmy," Kirsten said. She watched him until the front door of his house was closed to make sure he got in okay. Then she started the car and drove toward her own house.

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Kirsten was putting on the finishing touches of her make-up when the doorbell rang. _Damn it, they're here already,_ she thought and tried to finish getting ready as quick as possible. The ten couples in their group were coming over to Kristen's house to take some pictures before heading out to dinner.

Kirsten stood in the mirror, getting a final glimpse of herself. She was wearing a knee length black tube dress that clung perfectly to her slim body. Her hair was done half up with the upper half twisted and pinned with small white flowers evenly dispersed in the back. Her diamond necklace and matching earrings tied everything together perfectly. Her attention was diverted by a knock at the door.

"Come in," Kirsten called.

The door opened, revealing Kelly dressed in a gorgeous silky purple dress that had spaghetti straps and a low v-cut. Her hair was pulled back into an up-do and she wore a beautiful silver necklace around her neck.

"Oh, Kell! You look so beautiful!" Kirsten said as she hugged her best friend.

"You too, Kirst!" Kelly replied. "So, ready to go down there?"

"Yeah…is everyone there yet?" Kirsten asked.

"Um, well, probably half…me, Matt, Jimmy, Courtney, Brian, Amber, Brad, Karen, and Scott…"

"Okay, let's go!" Kirsten exclaimed and the two left her room.

After a good half an hour of picture taking, the group finally managed to leave Kirsten's house and set out on their way to The Arches for dinner. The meal was fairly uneventful…as always, The Arches served excellent food, and the conversations were never ending, with the girls gossiping about the latest scandal in the community and the guys still talking about their 'glorious' victory over Pacific the night before. After dinner was over, the each of the couples got into their expensive new cars and made their way toward the Hyatt Newporter Hotel where the dance was being held.

"Wow! The food there was really great!" Jimmy told Kirsten as they got in the car.

"Yeah, I knew…It's my family's favorite restaurant…whenever we do eat out, which really isn't all that often, we always seem to end up there," Kirsten told him.

Jimmy stopped at a red light and started to make a right hand turned while the light was still red. As he was turning, he didn't notice the car that was making a u-turn that was coming straight toward them.

"Jimmy! Watch out!" Kirsten screamed, but it was too late. A white Mercedes came crashing into the driver's side of Jimmy's car and sent the black Mustang into a 180 degree spin. The car stopped when the passenger side slammed into a light post on the side walk.

Kirsten felt herself being flung into the side of the car as it came to a halt and heard the glass of the windshield crunching and breaking. After a moment she realized that she wasn't really injured save a few small cuts and tried to calm herself down from her blood-curdling scream a second before. She then looked over to Jimmy and said, "Jimmy, are you okay?"

She saw Jimmy move slightly, but his eyes were closed and she was afraid the impact had knocked him out. However, a moment later his eyes slowly opened and he slowly said, "I think so."

Kirsten tried to check him over for injuries and saw that he had a large gash on his forehead, probably from a piece of broken glass from the windshield. She found some napkins in the glove compartment and pressed them to his forehead to try to control the bleeding.

"You're going to be okay, Jimmy…help is on the way," she reassured him.

Police cars and an ambulance arrived about five minutes later. Luckily, no one was seriously hurt, but Jimmy's car was in pretty bad shape. Kirsten and the driver of the other car were not injured at all, but the EMTs decided that Jimmy needed to be taken to the hospital for some stitches and allowed Kirsten to ride along with them.

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Meanwhile back at the dance, Kelly was slow dancing with Matt to the Eagle's song "Desperado," when she started wondering where Kirsten and Jimmy were.

Kelly looked up at Matt and said, "Hey, have you seen Kirsten and Jimmy at all?"

"Not since the restaurant," Matt replied.

"I wonder where they are," Kelly said. She was starting to get a little nervous. _What if something happened to them like a car accident or something_, she thought.

"Don't worry sweetie…I'm sure they're fine…Who knows, maybe they are here, but they decided to check into a hotel room instead…"

"Oh, you can't be serious…Kirsten wouldn't now…I mean they just started going out…they wouldn't be doing that yet…you think?" Kelly said astonished.

"You're probably right, but who knows…maybe Coop is an incredible sweet talker," Matt replied.

"You're full of crap, that's what I think…I'm sure I would have heard at least something if they were planning on doing that…besides, Kirsten was really looking forward to the dance…I just hope they're okay."

"Kelly, don't worry…they'll probably be here soon," Matt said reassuringly.

"You're probably right," Kelly said and gave him a kiss.

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The wait at Hoag Memorial Hospital seemed to be an eternity. Because Jimmy's injuries weren't extremely serious, they had to wait and it took almost two hours for Jimmy to get fixed up. In addition to the gash on his forehead that took 17 stitches to close up, Jimmy also had a mild concussion from the impact and a slightly sprained left wrist. But the doctor thought that he would be fully recovered in about one to two weeks, which both Kirsten and Jimmy were extremely grateful for.

"Ready to go home, Jimmy…I called a cab to take us back since both our parents are out," Kirsten told him.

"Home? We aren't going home. I am getting you to that dance. We still can make it right?"

"Jimmy, it's okay. You need to get home get some rest," Kirsten insisted.

"Kirsten, you have been looking forward to this for weeks now…we are going, even if it's only for one song…I know how important it is to you," Jimmy stated.

"Jimmy, it doesn't-"

"Kirsten," Jimmy interrupted her, "We're going, okay."

"Okay," she relented.

By the time the taxi pulled in front of the entrance to the hotel, Kirsten knew that the dance would almost be over. The pair hurried into the ballroom where the dance was being held and they looked like quite the pair. Jimmy had a large bandage on his forehead and a sling around his arm, while Kirsten's hair and makeup had been a bit disheveled from the events of the evening.

As they entered the room, Kelly spotted them immediately. "Oh my god, you guys! What happened!"

"Car accident…a little trip to the hospital…long stor-" Kirsten said before she was cut off by the voice on the loud speaker.

"Okay, Harbor High School! Last dance of your Homecoming 1979. This is Eric Clapton's 'Wonderful Tonight.'"

"I'll explain later," Kirsten told Kelly as Jimmy pulled her toward the dance floor. It was kind of an awkward dance, since Jimmy could only put one arm around Kirsten as the other one was in the sling. But neither one of them seem to really care, as they were both totally absorbed in the moment.

Jimmy looked at his beautiful girlfriend as he danced with her and felt so lucky to have won her over. She was unlike anyone he had known before and he could feel himself falling hard for her. "Kirsten," he started, "I'm so sorry about everything that happened tonight…I totally ruined the dance for you…"

Kirsten smiled slightly, "Jimmy, it wasn't your fault…I'm just glad you're okay…And we were just in time for our dance."

Jimmy pulled her closer and the couple danced it their embrace for the duration of the song.

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_I do not own The Arches, The Hyatt, or Hoag Memorial Hospital, all located in Newport Beach._

_I know this is the same title as the Thanksgiving episode during season 1…it just seemed appropriate so I borrowed it._


	12. Chapter 11: The Turkey Day

**Chapter 11: The Turkey Day**

NOVEMBER 22, 1979

NEWPORT BEACH, CA

Kirsten inhaled deeply and then exhaled, trying to calm herself down a little bit. Then she started walking toward the door of 5 Elmgrove, mustering all the courage she could. It was Thanksgiving and Jimmy had invited her to spend the holiday with his family since her own family was going to be spending it with her grandparents in Boston. Normally Kirsten would have gone with them, but the Harbor football team had a CIF playoff game the next day and it was mandatory for all the cheerleaders to attend.

This would mark her first time meeting Jimmy's parents and as she reached to press the doorbell, she was still a bit nervous. _What if they hate me,_ she thought. _They'll probably just think I'm some brat from Newport…just some stupid rich girl…_

Her thoughts were interrupted as the door opened. Luckily Jimmy was the person who had opened the door and he greeted her with a kiss.

"Hey," Jimmy said.

"Hey yourself," Kirsten said. Then she held out a dish to him that she was holding and continued, "I brought something for the dinner. It's sweet potato soufflé."

Jimmy eyed her skeptically. A week ago, Kirsten had attempted to cook dinner for the two of them at her house, but had failed miserably, burning the chicken, adding too much salt to the soup, and baking the rolls until they were hard as rocks.

"Don't worry, my mom made it," Kirsten replied to Jimmy's glance.

"Just thought I'd check…I mean this is Thanksgiving so you do want the food to be edible," Jimmy told her

"Haha, very funny…"

"Come on…time to meet the family," Jimmy said, but before he turned to walk away, he spotted the nervous look. "Don't worry. They'll love you. I mean honestly, who couldn't!"

Jimmy led her into the kitchen and as they reached it, Kirsten saw Jimmy's entire family standing around the island talking minus the women who Kirsten assumed was his mom, who was tending to the cooking nearby at the stove. No one seemed to notice as the pair entered the room.

"Everyone," Jimmy started, but no one seemed to hear him. "EVERYONE!" Jimmy practically yelled. Suddenly all eyes were on the two of them. "Sorry, you were all ignoring me…anyway, I want you all to meet my girlfriend, Kirsten Nichol."

"Oh, Kirsten! It's so nice to finally meet you. I'm Aimee, Jimmy's mom," the blond woman near the stove said excitedly.

Before Kirsten had a chance to reply, a tall man with brown hair held out his hand and introduced himself, "I'm John Cooper, Jimmy's dad."

"Nice to meet you both," Kirsten said as she shook his hand.

"Kirsten," Jimmy started as she finished shaking hands with Mr. Cooper. "This is my sister Ashley and her fiancée Michael."

Kirsten looked at Jimmy's sister. Tall and blond and definitely wearing clothes from an expensive designer. Not that Kirsten should be one to talk about the expensive clothes, but this girl definitely looked over the top. _Jimmy said she was the epitome of girly-girl_, she thought. _I guess I'll find out._

"Hi Kirsten! It's so great to finally meet you!" Ashley said as she attacked a surprised Kirsten with a hug. When Ashley pulled away, she continued, talking a mile a minute, "You are so pretty, you know that. Is that dress Calvin Klein. I love Calvin Klein, but I haven't been able to find anything I liked lately. But that is a gorgeous dress. I'm thinking that I am going to wear Vera Wang at my wedding, what do you think? I mean it's definitely classic, but then I was thinking, maybe I should do something more exotic. Oh and you have to be one of my bridesmaids for the wedding! Is March going to work…"

Kirsten just stared wide-eyed at Ashley as she rambled on about designer names and her wedding. _Jeez,_ Kirsten thought. _I've never seen a girl this excited about fashion, and _

_that's saying something since all my friends go crazy about designer brands. Jimmy was right, this girl is the epitome of a girly-girl. And I only met her a second ago and she wants me to be in her wedding! What is even going on! _

"Ashley, sweetheart," Mrs. Cooper finally interrupted her. "Why don't we save this conversation for later."

"Oh, sorry, didn't mean to overwhelm you…I just go a little crazy about all my wedding stuff," Ashley told Kirsten.

"Okay, Kirsten, this is my brother, Jack, and my sister, Allie," Jimmy continued pointing out the last two people in the room.

Kirsten shook Jack's hand first and said, "Nice to meet you." He looked like Jimmy, except that he was slightly taller and had lighter colored hair.

She then turned towards Jimmy's little sister. She was wearing a black tube dress with fishnet stockings and clunky black shoes. Her brown hair was cut short and was flipped out to the sides, and she had the tannest skin out of all the Coopers. The dark black eyeliner around her blue eyes made them look incredibly bright and the black lipstick topped off the entire ensemble. _So this is what Jimmy meant by her being a punk,_ Kirsten thought.

"Nice to meet you, Allie," Kirsten said.

For a second, Allie didn't say anything. She stood there, without any trace of smile on her face, looking pissed off at the world. Then finally, her black lips parted and she said, "It's Al. Not Allie." She paused for a moment, but then continued, "It figures Jimmy would be dating someone like you." As soon as she was finished, Allie walked out of the room, leaving Kirsten speechless.

"Al!" Jimmy yelled after her, but Allie acted like she didn't hear him and continued walking away. Jimmy turned back to Kirsten, "I'm sorry, Kirsten…about Allie. She's just, going through this phase…she doesn't seem to like anyone right now…it's nothing personal, but I can try to talk to her."

Kirsten got over her initial astonishment and said, "It's okay, Jimmy. Don't worry about it. I know all about little sisters, remember."

"Okay, dinner is almost ready," Mrs. Cooper informed. "Jimmy, Jack, can you two rearrange the chairs in the dining room. I forgot to do that earlier. Make sure we have all eight chairs."

When Jimmy and Jack reached the dining room and were out of earshot of the kitchen, Jack started in on Jimmy, "Man, you did good. Kirsten is hot!"

"Yeah, I know. It's not just that, though. She's an awesome person. Really smart and nice and all," Jimmy said.

"So, are you two…you know…doing the deed," Jack asked suspiciously, which totally caught Jimmy off guard. Jack responded to his brother's surprised look and said, "So I take that as a no…but come on, you can't be that surprised…you've at least thought about it right?"

"Well, yeah, of course, Jack…but we haven't been dating that long, and she's not like that," Jimmy told him.

"Can't blame me for asking…you better hang onto her…cuz she is fine," Jack said.

"I don't plan on losing her any time soon," Jimmy confirmed.

As soon as Jimmy and Jack finished with the chairs, Mrs. Cooper, Ashley, and Kirsten all entered carrying various trays of food and set them all out on the table. Finally, everyone, including Allie who had suddenly reappeared, sat down at the table for the Thanksgiving feast.

"So Kirsten," Mrs. Cooper began. "Jimmy tells me that you are Vice President of Harbor and you're a cheerleader too?"

Kirsten spotted Allie at the end of the table and saw her roll her eyes when Mrs. Cooper asked her about cheerleading. However, she ignored Jimmy's sister and said, "Yes. I enjoy them both a lot. I really like being involved with school. Actually, cheerleading is the reason why I couldn't spend Thanksgiving with my own family. They went to Boston to spend it with my grandparents. I was suppose to go with them, but since the football team is doing so well and playing a CIF game tomorrow, I have to be at the game."

"We met your parents at a party a few weeks ago. They seem like very nice people. You have a younger sister too, is that correct," Mrs. Cooper said.

Kirsten snickered to herself. _Caleb Nichol, nice? That's a joke,_ she thought. _But what else would they say? It's not like it would be an option to insult the richest man in Newport in front of his daughter._ "Um, yeah, my sister, Hailey just turned seven. She's in first grade," Kirsten replied to Mrs. Cooper's last question.

"So Kirsten, do you know where you want to go to college, yet? What you want to study?" Mr. Cooper inquired.

Kirsten inwardly groaned at the question. It seemed like lately everyone she knew was asking her that question. Her father was pushing for her to go into business, so that she could come work for him at the Newport Group after college. But what Kirsten really wanted was to go into art history; however, her father didn't want to hear such nonsense. She finally began to answer Mr. Cooper's question, "Well, I'm not sure exactly where I want to go yet, but I am thinking maybe University of Pennsylvania or if I don't get in there, USC. My father wants me to go into business and both schools have great programs."

Just as she finished answering, Kirsten suddenly started feeling overwhelmed with all the questions that Jimmy's parents were bombarding her with ever since she walked through the door. She knew they were only trying to be nice, but she wished that the conversation would shift off of her.

A second later, Ashley started in on her, seeming to pick up exactly where she left off earlier in the kitchen. "So Kirsten, what do you think about being a bridesmaid? I would really love for you to be in the wedding."

Kirsten hesitated for a moment and then answered, "Um, I'd love to be, but do you really want me in the wedding? I mean you just met me and-"

"Of course I want you in the wedding," Ashley interrupted. "I wouldn't have asked you if I didn't want you to be. You're Jimmy's girlfriend. You have to be in the wedding. So anyway, now that that's settled, on to the wedding. So I was thinking, for bridesmaid dresses, I have it narrowed down to Gucci, Valentino, or Chanel. And for the color of the dress, it most definitely has to be a bright color for the spring. I was thinking maybe magenta, or a bright purple? What do you think?"

"Well, I would have to see the dresses. The color would have to depend on the style of the dress," she answered. Kirsten was amazed at how someone could go on and on about fashion. Although she enjoyed shopping and purchasing the latest and greatest clothes, it bored her to talk about it extensively.

"Of course! I'll have to show you all the dresses I am trying to choose from. Oh, and we definitely need to go shopping sometime soon. Fashion Island and South Coast have the best stores. A lot more stuff to choose from than there was down in San Diego. But anyway, back to the wedding…" Ashley rambled on.

As Kirsten listened to Ashley go on and on, without anyone else being able to get a word in edgewise, she knew she had to get out of the room and fast. She couldn't sit there and listen to this nonsense talk any longer. When Kirsten finally heard Ashley stop for an instant to catch her breath, she saw her opening, "Sorry to interrupt, but I'm going to go to the bathroom."

"It's just down the hall and on the right," Mrs. Cooper informed her.

"Thanks. I'll be right back," Kirsten said. She started off towards the bathroom, but took a turn towards the kitchen, filled a glass of water, and made her way outside into the backyard. Kirsten sat herself down in a chair, and as she drank her water, she looked around the beautiful backyard and was reminded of their first date that had ended in that very pool. She smiled slightly as she remembered their first kiss in the jacuzzi underneath the waterfall.

Suddenly a voice interrupted her thoughts, "I thought you went to the bathroom." Kirsten turned around to see Allie standing behind her.

"Are you spying on me now or something? What's your problem anyway? What's your excuse for being out here?" Kirsten accused.

Allie was a little surprised. She had pegged this Kirsten girl as some little Newport princess that would let everyone walk all over her. But apparently the girl had a little attitude in her.

"Do you honestly think that someone like me could sit through my sister rambling on about stuff like matching designer shoes for all the bridesmaids," Allie paused for a second and continued, "So what are you doing out here?"

Kirsten smiled slightly and said, "Same reason you are. Don't get me wrong, your family seems really nice, including your sister. But she was driving me crazy! I've never heard anyone go on about fashion and weddings the way she does."

For the first time since she had arrived, Kirsten saw Allie's lips turn upward into a slight smile, which was accompanied by a look of surprise on her face. "You surprised me, Kirsten Nichol. I definitely thought you would be one of those materialistic Newport girls who didn't care about anything but fashion and partying. I was a little disappointed in Jimmy…thought he was only dating you because you were pretty. But I can see there is something more to you…I'm glad that he was right. And sorry about my insults earlier. It was wrong."

Kirsten laughed and said, "It's okay. I'd probably be skeptical of me too. It was actually kind of refreshing to be insulted, since most people try to kiss up to me…because of who my dad is. They're all so fake…it was nice for some honesty for a change."

Allie laughed. She was really starting to like Kirsten amazingly enough, especially since she absolutely despised her only a few minutes ago.

"We should probably head in," Kirsten said, to which Allie rolled her eyes. "Come on, Al. I think we can handle it between the two of us. That is unless you're chicken."

"I'm not chicken!" Allie stated firmly. "I guess you're right. I mean we're both smart. Between the two of us, we can divert the conversation to some more interesting topic."

"Well I definitely agree with that assessment. Come on and let's find out," Kirsten said as she stood up and headed towards the door with Allie right behind her.

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_Calvin Klein, Vera Wang, Gucci, Valentino, and Chanel are all designers that I do not own. I also do not own Fashion Island and South Coast Plaza, located in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa, respectively. _


	13. Chapter 12: The Magic in the Air

**Chapter 12: The Magic in the Air**

DECEMBER 22, 1979

NEWPORT BEACH, CA

Kirsten sat on her window seat, looking out the window at all the people arriving at her house for the annual Nichol Christmas party. She sighed and took a sip of vodka out of her silver flask. She didn't really care much for the parties. Well, it wasn't really the parties that she didn't like…it was having to play the hostess, play the part of the perfect daughter of the perfect family, the family that Kirsten knew was far from perfect. She always felt like she was acting so…so fake, just putting on a show. But most people didn't care who the real Kirsten Nichol was…they just expected perfection from her.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the door to her bedroom was pushed opened, revealing Kelly.

"What are you doing up here? This is your party after all," Kelly asked as she hugged her best friend.

"Hiding out…hoping my parents won't notice that I'm not down there…so I maybe I won't actually go to the party," Kirsten admitted. She took another sip from her flask. As Kelly saw this, she cringed slightly. Kelly knew Kirsten liked a drink or two…hell, she did too, but it always worried her when Kirsten drank alone.

"Oh, come on, Kirst. It won't be that bad…I mean it is Christmas after all," Kelly said, trying to cheer her up. "And besides, Jimmy's probably looking for you. I think I saw him walk in when I was coming up here."

Kirsten smiled slightly. _Maybe Kelly is right,_ Kirsten thought. _Maybe it won't be so bad._ But in the back of Kirsten's mind, she had a feeling that only the presence of Kelly and Jimmy at the party was going to keep her sane. She was still holding a flask and said, "Okay. Hey do you want a little before we head down?" holding up the flask towards Kelly.

Kelly looked at the flask for a second and then took it from Kirsten and drank a long sip. _At least this way, it will be a little less for her to drink, _Kelly thought. She coughed when she was done, noting how strong it was. "Straight vodka, Kirst?"

"The only way to go," Kirsten said, and took the flask back from Kelly and put it back in her desk drawer. "Alright, I guess it's time to face all the Newpsies. Ready?"

"Whenever you are," Kelly replied and the two friends headed out of Kirsten's room and down the stairs to join the party.

As soon as they reached the bottom of the stairs, Caleb spotted Kirsten and pulled her away from Kelly. "Kiki! You remember the Arnolds, right?" Caleb asked as he gestured toward a couple that was standing next to them.

"Yes, of course. How lovely to see you both again," Kirsten said in her most elegant voice.

"Now dear, we hear that you are dating Jimmy Cooper…" Mrs. Arnold said and started rambling on.

_Man, this is going to be a long night,_ Kirsten thought as she put on her best smile, fake as it was, for all the Newpsies, hoping that she might win some sort of praise from her father.

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After what seemed like an eternity milling around with her parents and talking to all of the 'pillars' of the community, Kirsten spotted Jimmy and managed to make her way over to him.

"Hey," Jimmy said and greeted her with a kiss. "I was wondering when you were going to turn up…this is your party after all."

"You mean it's my parents's party," Kirsten corrected.

"Well, technicalities."

"Yeah, sorry, though…I had to play hostess with my parents, unfortunately…definitely my least favorite part of these things," Kirsten sighed.

"You're done though, right?" Jimmy asked.

"Yeah," Kirsten stated. She moved closer to him, her cheek touching his and whispered into his ear, "So, do you want to go to the pool house?"

Jimmy smiled and said, "You read my mind."

Kirsten maneuvered Jimmy and herself through all the people scattered about in the backyard, hoping that no one would stop them and try to start a conversation. Luckily, they managed to reach the pool house without encountering a thing. As Kirsten reached for the door, she looked back in the crowd, making sure she didn't see her parents or Jimmy's in the vicinity. When she was satisfied with her search, she opened the door quietly and she slipped inside, with Jimmy following close behind.

As soon as Jimmy shut the door behind him, Kirsten attacked him with her lips. As the kissing grew increasingly passionate, Jimmy found himself running his hands through her blond locks and trying to pull her closer, if it was even possible.

Kirsten finally broke away for a second, but her face stayed incredibly close to Jimmy's, and she then proceeded to push him playfully down on the bed of the pool house. Kirsten giggled as she did this and then climbed on top of Jimmy, placing her lips firmly on his. Jimmy starting kissing her neck and moved his hands up and down her back. He slowly unzipped the back of her dress halfway, so he could feel her smooth skin…

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Kelly looked up and saw Kirsten's father approaching her. She had known Caleb for almost ten years, but the guy still scared her.

"Hello, Kelly. Lovely to see you here tonight," Caleb said.

"You too, Mr. Nichol," Kelly replied.

"I was wondering, have you seen Kirsten? There are a few more guests I wanted to introduce her to, but I can't seem to find her," Caleb asked.

"I haven't seen her since she was with you and Mrs. Nichol earlier," Kelly replied.

"Okay, thanks. If you see her, can you tell her that I'm looking for her?"

"Sure. No problem."

"Bye Kelly," and with that, Caleb walked away. He had already checked for Kirsten upstairs, thinking that she might have been hiding out to avoid the party, but she wasn't there. He looked up and saw his pool house. _Aw-ha! I bet she's hiding out in there, _Caleb thought. _It's the perfect hiding place._

Caleb approached the pool house and swiftly opened the door. "Oh my God!" he said, utterly shocked.

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The bottom of Kirsten's dress had slid up high on her leg as Jimmy and her continued making out. Suddenly she looked up as the door to the pool house opening. But it was too late to get off Jimmy and she just stared at her father standing in the doorway. She had been caught with Jimmy, with her dress unzipped and slid up her legs, by her father.

Caleb stood there with an expression that Kirsten perceived to be as one of a mix of extreme anger and shock and said, "Oh my God!"

Kirsten quickly rolled off of Jimmy and tried to put words together, but was fairly unsuccessful, "Ah, Dad…um…"

"Both of you, out of here, now! We'll have a long talk about this later," Caleb told them.

Jimmy, who still hadn't said a word, was out of there as soon as Caleb finished his sentence, practically running out the door, leaving Kirsten alone with her father.

"Kirsten Elizabeth Nichol, I can't believe you! During our Christmas party! With all these guests here? I am extremely disappointed. How do you think it would have looked if someone else had caught you two?" Caleb stated, almost yelling with a bright red face of anger. "Now, make yourself presentable and get back out there. I don't want anyone getting suspicious," he told her and walked out the door.

As her father left the pool house, Kirsten couldn't utter a word. She was still wearing an expression of disbelief and her face was flushed with embarrassment. She breathed in slowly and then exhaled as she finally forced herself to stand up to fix her dress and smooth her hair. Once she was satisfied that she looked 'presentable,' she walked out of the pool house and closed the door behind her.

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Kelly saw Kirsten from a distance and waved to her. The two friends walked towards each other and met in the middle. "Hey," Kelly said.

"Hey," Kirsten replied, still somewhat shaken up by what had just happened.

"So, you're dad was looking for you earlier, did he find you?" Kelly asked.

"Oh, he found me all right! On top of Jimmy Cooper in the pool house," Kirsten told her. She reached up and grabbed a glass of Chardonnay from a tray as the waiter walked by, and drank the entire glass in one sip.

"Oh my God!" Kelly exclaimed, but completely at a loss of words.

"Yeah, I know, I'm dead!" Kirsten stated. She placed the empty glass on a tray passing by, grabbed another Chardonnay, and proceeded to chug that glass too.

Kelly observed Kirsten's actions and said, "Don't you think you want to slow down a little? I mean, you haven't eaten or anything."

"Slow down! Don't you tell me to slow down! I have a family that is pretending to be perfect for all the Newpsies, I have a father that caught me making out during our Christmas party, and I am basically going be grounded for…forever and probably never see Jimmy again!"

"Don't you think your exaggerating?" Kelly asked. Kirsten gave her a look as she drank from her third glass of Chardonnay. "Well, a little anyway," Kelly restated.

"Maybe a little, but have you met my father!" Kirsten replied.

"I see your point," Kelly said.

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Jimmy emerged from the bathroom, still trying to calm himself from what just happened. _I am such a dead man,_ he thought. _What was I even thinking?_ A voice calling his name broke his train of thought.

"Hey Coop, how's it going?" Matt said as he approached Jimmy.

"Honestly, not good," Jimmy replied.

Matt waited for a second for Jimmy to elaborate, but when he didn't, Matt continued, "What happened, man?"

"Well, Kirsten and I…we were…we were making out…in the pool house…and then her dad caught us," Jimmy managed to get out.

"Holy shit!" Matt exclaimed. "Caleb Nichol caught you? You are so a dead man."

"Tell me something I don't know," Jimmy sighed.

"I'm surprised he hasn't killed you yet," Matt said.

"Too many witnesses around," Jimmy said, half jokingly.

"Man, I'm so sorry," Matt told him. "Well, I kind of have to take off now…my family is leaving…good luck with the dad."

"Thanks, I'll need it," Jimmy stated as Matt walked away.

Jimmy stood there for a moment, running his hands through his bushy brown hair. Then he spotted Kirsten's sister, standing by herself looking incredibly bored. _Poor kid,_ Jimmy thought. _Only in first grade and having to sit through one of these parties._

Hailey looked up and saw her sister's boyfriend, Jimmy, approaching her. _Kirsten's soooo lucky_! she thought. _Jimmy's so great…he's cute and nice!_

"Hey, Kiddo!" Jimmy said as he reached her.

"Hi!" Hailey exclaimed in a high voice.

"You were looking a little bored," Jimmy told her.

"Yeah…these things always are…just a bunch of old people," Hailey said.

Jimmy had to chuckle at Hailey. "So, Kiddo, how about we do a little dancing?"

"Yeah!" Hailey exclaimed.

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Kirsten was talking with Kelly, when she stopped mid-sentence. Kelly looked over and followed Kirsten's gaze to the dance floor where Jimmy was dancing with Hailey.

"Aw, isn't that so cute!" Kirsten said. Jimmy was holding Hailey's hands and the two of them were jumping around to the music. It looked pretty goofy, a teenage boy who was over 6 feet tall dancing with a seven-year old girl who wasn't quite 4 feet tall. But the sight touched Kirsten's heart and she thought it looked adorable.

She walked towards them and as she reached them, she said, "Hey you two!"

"Hi Kiks!" Hailey exclaimed. "Jimmy was just dancing with me!"

"I can see. That was very nice of him," Kirsten said.

Just then, a slow song came on, and Jimmy said, "Hey, Hailey, is it okay if I dance with your sister for this one?"

"Sure. But you're mine for the next one," Hailed told him.

"Okay," Jimmy said. He put his arms around Kirsten and started dancing with her.

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"Look at the two of them," Caleb stated, as he noticed Kirsten and Jimmy dancing. "And after what I caught them doing."

"Oh, loosen up, Caleb. They are dating, you know. What did you think, they were just holding hands," Katherine Nichol told her husband.

"But in the pool house…during an elegant party?" Caleb said.

"I agree, but-"

Caleb didn't wait for his wife to finish and interrupted, "I need to go have a word with those two."

"Wait, Cal," Katherine called after him, but it was too late.

As Caleb approached the pair, Kirsten and Jimmy were lost in the moment and totally taken by surprise when Caleb said, "So, I see you two still can't keep your hands off each other."

Kirsten was beyond furious. _Damn it, we're just dancing,_ she thought. "Dad, come on, we were just-"

"Cal," the single word that Katherine stated, interrupted Kirsten, but stopping any argument from developing. "Come on…I think you owe me a dance."

"But, I-" Caleb started to say.

"But nothing," Katherine said, interrupting again. "Let's go have that dance now. Let them be…it is Christmas after all."

Caleb looked as though he was about to say something else, but Katherine silence him with a look before he could get it out, and she led him away from Kirsten and Jimmy. She looked back and smiled at Kirsten, and Kirsten in reply mouthed, 'thank you.'

Kirsten turned back toward Jimmy and put her arms around him to continue their dance. _Maybe there is Christmas magic after all,_ she thought, and just after that thought, Jimmy leaned in and gave her a soft kiss that seemed to make all her troubles melt away for the holiday season.

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_Hope you are all still enjoying it…if anyone has any suggestions, let me know._

_The following lines from my story:_

_**Kelly**: Don't you think you want to slow down a little? I mean, you haven't eaten or anything._

_**Kirsten: **Slow down! Don't you tell me to slow down! I have a family that is pretending to be perfect for all the Newpsies, I have a father that caught me making out during our Christmas party, and I am basically going be grounded for…forever and probably never see Jimmy again!_

_were based on the following lines from "The Homecoming":_

_**Sandy:** Ya know you might wanna slow down with that…you're drinkin on an empty stomach._

**_Kirsten:_** _Don't you tell me to slow down, tell him to hit the bricks!_

_**Sandy:** Hit the bricks! Who talks like that?_

_**Kirsten:** Don't you judge me! I have a family that won't let me cook for Thanksgiving dinner, I have a father who is using me for my candied yams, and we are out of merlot! _

_I just love that scene!_


	14. Chapter 13: The Arrow of Cupid

**Chapter 13: The Arrow of Cupid**

FEBRUARY 13, 1980

NEWPORT BEACH, CA

"So, Kirst…have you and Jimmy, you know…done it yet?" Kelly asked Kirsten as the two of them were walking toward their lockers before class started.

Kirsten was taken a bit by surprise and began, "Well, um, not yet."

"What are you waiting for, girl? Jimmy and you are so great together. He really likes you a lot…I can tell," Kelly said.

"I know he does…And I really like him, too…I guess I just want to be sure, you know," Kirsten replied.

"I think he's a pretty sure thing, Kirst. Oh, I have it! Tomorrow, Valentine's Day…it would be a perfect time, don't you think!" Kelly exclaimed.

"Yeah, I guess," Kirsten said.

"What do you mean, you guess! Kirst, what's wrong?" Kelly asked.

"Nothing…you're right, it would be perfect," Kirsten agreed.

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"Come on, Coop. You gotta tell me. Have you and Kirsten had sex yet," Matt asked Jimmy.

"Well, no not yet," Jimmy admitted, looking somewhat defeated.

"What are you waiting for man…you got to close in on her," Matt urged.

"Yeah, I know…it's just that I really like her so I don't want to rush her into anything…plus with the whole Christmas party debacle, we kind of had to slow things down a little…I mean it seemed like I hardly saw her for about a month after that," Jimmy explained.

"But her dad…he's finally eased up since then, right?" Matt asked.

"Yeah, I guess," Jimmy said, just as Kirsten and Kelly walked up to them.

"So, what were you two talking about?" Kirsten inquired.

Jimmy was about to open his mouth to speak, but Matt beat him to it, "Oh, you know, just each of our plans for Valentine's Day for our lovely ladies," and he put his arm around Kelly.

"Oh, really?" Kelly asked.

"Yep, but it's all a secret…so don't even bother trying to get it out of us," Matt said. As he spoke, Kelly caught Jimmy looking slightly panicked for just a moment.

"Secret, huh? Well, I look forward to it," Kirsten replied. "Anyway, I have to drop some stuff by the office for student government…I'll catch up with you guys later," she said as she kissed Jimmy on the cheek and walked away.

"I gotta jet too…my Spanish teacher is really anal if we're late," Matt said, walking in the opposite direction of Kirsten.

Kelly looked up at Jimmy and said, "You don't have anything planned, do you?"

"I'm working on it…sort of…was it that obvious?" Jimmy replied.

"Right…working on it…and no, you weren't that obvious, and I swear I'm not being sarcastic…Kirsten didn't notice," Kelly said.

"That's good."

"You better come up with something good and not disappoint her…Valentine's Day is her favorite holiday," Kelly told him and walked away from a slightly overwhelmed Jimmy, who let out a sigh as Kelly walked away.

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Kirsten came to school the next day dressed in a red sweater and jeans in spirit of the holiday. When she arrived at her locker and opened it, red and pink balloons came bursting out at her.

"Oh, my gosh!" Kirsten said to herself.

She took the bunch of balloons and tied them to her backpack. Looking back in the locker, she spotted the rest of the Valentine's Day surprises in there: a heart shaped box of chocolates and a small bouquet of red roses.

"Oh!" was all Kirsten could get out as she smiled. She felt arms come around her body and hug her from the back. She turned her head to see Jimmy and gave him a kiss.

"So I take it you like it," Jimmy said smiling.

"Of course! Jimmy, that was so sweet. Thank you!" Kirsten said.

"Well, that's not the end. I'm taking you out to dinner tonight. I'll pick you up at 6:30," Jimmy told her.

"I can't wait," Kirsten replied.

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Jimmy picked Kirsten up at her house promptly at 6:30 and took her to dinner to a fancy seafood restaurant called 21 Oceanfront. They had a wonderful Valentine's dinner together and after they were finished, Jimmy suggested that they get some Balboa bars and take a walk on the beach.

"Jimmy, thank you so much. This evening has been so great," Kirsten said, and then took another bite of her Balboa bar. "I'm having the best time!"

"Well, for the record, I had a really good time too," Jimmy stated. He hesitated for a second and then continued, "You know, the evening doesn't have to end here. My parents won't be back 'til late…"

Kirsten knew what he was hinting at. But she still wasn't quite sure if she was ready. "Jimmy, um, I don't know if-"

Before she could finish, Jimmy cut her off, "Hey, no worries. I don't want to rush you into anything, okay." He put his arm around her and pulled her in close as they continued walking on the beach. "Whenever you are ready, okay," he reassured.

Kirsten though for a moment about what Kelly had said: "What are you waiting for, girl?" _What was she waiting for? Jimmy was great. She knew he loved her and she loved him too. Well, she thought she loved him anyway…she had never been in love before, but she was pretty sure that this was what it felt like. _

As she was thinking, her reservations shrunk and her confidence grew. She turned her head and looked up at him, "Hey Jimmy, we better get back to your house before your parents get home."

The statement shocked Jimmy, and he turned his head and looked into her eyes, "Are you sure? Because if you aren't sure, then-"

"Jimmy, shut up," Kirsten cut him off. They stopped walking and Kirsten faced him, grabbed his arms, and said, "I am sure, okay. I want this. To be with you." She leaned up and kissed him.

"Okay, whatever you say," Jimmy said, almost grinning.

The couple started walking towards where Jimmy's car was parked and he drove back towards his house. After parking the car in the driveway, he led her through the door and as soon as it was shut the couple started kissing passionately.

"We should probably move this upstairs…to the bedroom," Jimmy said, breathlessly.

"Ah-uh," Kirsten said between kisses.

But before they could make it upstairs, the unexpected sound of the doorbell interrupted them.

"Do you have to get that?" Kirsten asked.

"Nah," Jimmy said as they slowly continued up the stairs. But then the ring of the doorbell went off again.

"Damn it," Jimmy sighed. "Just one second, okay?" he told Kirsten as he made his way to the door. When he opened the door, the last person that he expected to see at that moment was standing in front of him.

"Jimmy!" Kirsten heard a girl's voice call. This alone made her get up from the stairs and make her way to the door to see who this girl. When she reached the door, she found Jimmy in an embrace with a girl that was about their age. She was cute, tall with brown hair a little shorter than shoulder length and chocolate brown eyes, and she looked to be about Kirsten and Jimmy's age.

When they finally broke from their hug, Jimmy nervously started making introductions, "Um, Cami, this is Kirsten Nichol. Kirsten, this is Elise Cameron, from San Diego."

"I go by Cami," the girl said. "Nice to meet you," she continued as she stuck out her hand.

Kirsten took the girl's hand and shook it and replied, "Nice to meet you too."

"So, Jimmy," Cami started. "Is this your friend? Are you studying or something?"

"Um, well, she's actually, um-"

"I'm his girlfriend," Kirsten interrupted. "And today is Valentine's Day."

"Oh, right, I guess it is," Cami said, feigning ignorance.

"So, you're Jimmy's friend?" Kirsten asked. She knew this was trouble. A girl from Jimmy's past, showing up on Valentine's Day, coincidence? Kirsten didn't think so.

"Well, I guess you could call me that. Well, I mean we were practically dating…not officially, but you know. And then Jimmy had to move. But last time I checked, we were going to try to make something work," Cami stated.

Kirsten was in shock. She looked over and said, "Jimmy?"

"Kirsten, um, I can explain-"

But before he could say anything else, Kirsten interjected, her bitter tone evident, "No, you know what, I'll just go. I'm sure you two have so much to catch up on."

"Kirsten, wait…" Jimmy called desperately. But it was too late. Kirsten was already out the door.

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Kirsten was lying on her bed, wiping her eyes with a tissue, when there was a knock on her door.

"Kirsten, can I come in?" she heard her mother ask her.

"Go away…I don't want to talk," Kirsten replied.

Katherine ignored her daughter's request and came in anyway. "Are you okay, sweetie?"

"Um, yeah, I'm fine," Kirsten answered, sounding seemingly composed, but her red, puffy eyes told Katherine that she wasn't fine.

"Yeah, you really look fine," her mother replied sarcastically. She approached Kirsten and gathered her into a hug. "So you want to talk about it?"

"Jimmy's ex-girlfriend…well I guess technically she isn't really his ex…I don't even know what she is…anyway, she showed up during our date…it was obvious what her intentions were…and Jimmy just kind of sat there…didn't ask her to leave or anything…" Kirsten tried to explain.

"Well, did he explain the situation to you?" her mother asked her.

"Not really…but I guess I didn't really give him much of a chance," Kirsten admitted. "I was just so angry that she showed up in the first place that I guess I didn't really want to listen to his excuses."

"Why don't you give him a chance," Katherine said. Kirsten gave her an inquisitive look and Katherine continued, "He's downstairs. Go talk to him. You know he really cares about you, Kirsten. And I know you care about him. Give him a chance to explain."

Kirsten thought for a moment…about what her mom said…_I guess I should at least give him a chance_.

"You're right. Thanks, Mom!" Kirsten said as she hugged her mom once more.

Kirsten left her room and went downstairs to find Jimmy standing in the entry way. "Hey," he called to her as she came down the stairs.

"Hey, where's Cami?" Kirsten said, almost immediately regretting how that sounded. "Sorry, I mean…"

"It's okay. I told her that she should go home. That you are my girlfriend now. So she left," Jimmy said. He paused for a moment and then continued, "Cami and I were really good friends and we were thinking about dating each other around the time that I found out that I was moving. I didn't want to start anything, but she said that we could try to make it work…that Newport and San Diego weren't that far apart…but I didn't want that. I wanted a fresh start. Nothing ever happened between us. And I promise you I had no idea she was going to show up. It was all her idea…she didn't really agree with my idea of a fresh start. Kirsten, I really care about you and I don't plan on throwing that all away for something like this. You are the only one."

Kirsten smiled and said, "And you are the only one for me. I'm sorry I overreacted. I guess I just didn't want to lose you."

"You have nothing to be sorry for. I guess I probably should have told you before…I guess I just thought my past was a little-"

"Jimmy," Kirsten interrupted. "Enough," and with that she kissed him firmly on the lips and it grew into a more passionate kiss.

When they broke apart, Jimmy said, "So, do you still want to…you know?"

Kirsten sighed. She had come so close, but after this little incident, she decided that she needed to take a little step back, "Um, Jimmy, I don't know now…"

"It's okay. I understand," he confirmed. Jimmy hesitated, but looked into Kirsten's eyes and continued, "And I just want you to know…you don't have to say anything, but for the record, I just want you to know…that I love you, Kirsten Nichol."

Kirsten grinned and she instantly knew. She hugged him and whispered into his ear, "I love you too, Jimmy Cooper."

Upon hearing this, Jimmy was ecstatic and pulled her in for another passionate kiss. _This is why I love Valentine's Day,_ Kirsten thought happily.

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_21 Oceanfront is an actual restaurant in Newport Beach. I do not own it._

_Note: I am going on a trip tomorrow and won't be back for 10 days, so I will be unable to post. I might get some writing done, but I'm not guaranteeing anything. Thanks for reading and hopefully I will get some more posts up soon after I get back! _


	15. Chapter 14: The Wedding Bells

**Chapter 14: The Wedding Bells**

APRIL 4, 1980

NEWPORT BEACH, CA

"So, the big wedding this weekend, right?" Kelly asked. She was lying on Kirsten's bed, while Kirsten was playing with her hair in front of the mirror.

"Yeah…I can't believe I actually agreed to be in this wedding," Kirsten told her.

"Well, from what you said, there was no way you were going to talk your way out of it," Kelly replied.

"Very true. I actually have to go over to Jimmy's house soon…his sister is dragging me with her to pick up the dresses and the shoes for the bridesmaids. I swear Kelly this girl is borderline psychotic about clothes and fashion. Nice, but psychotic. I mean, none of our friends come close to her," Kirsten said as she continued fixing her hair.

"Now that's really saying something," Kelly admitted. "So you and Jimmy are good, yeah?"

"Yeah, I guess…nothing exciting to report," Kirsten said.

"So you haven't…" Kelly trailed off.

"Had sex? No. I thought I was ready on Valentine's Day, but then that girl showed up, and I don't know what happened. I mean, it wasn't like he was cheating on me or anything, but then all of a sudden I wasn't ready again. I don't know what's wrong with me. I like him so much, I guess I don't want to screw anything up, you know?" Kirsten rambled.

"You love him, don't you?" Kelly asked.

"Yeah…I do," Kirsten admitted.

"I'm sure you'll know when you're ready," Kelly assured. "Well, I better get going…wouldn't want you to miss your outing with Cosmo-girl. Talk to you later!"

"Bye Kell!" Kirsten said as Kelly left her room.

Kirsten sighed to herself. _This should be interesting._

An hour passed by quickly and Kirsten found herself waiting in the foyer of the Cooper home, while Ashley grabbed a few things from upstairs.

Kirsten's back was to the stairs, when she heard a voice call, "Hi Kirsten!" Kirsten turned around to see Allie walking down the stairs, dressed in her typical punk clothes.

"Hi Al! Are you coming with us?" Kirsten asked.

"Yeah right! I wouldn't be caught dead," Al told her.

"Well, you are the maid of honor, aren't you?"

"Not by choice, really…I guess that's what happens when you are the only sister of the bride," Allie told her.

Just then Ashley came down the stairs and said, "Kirsten! Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah," Kirsten said. Then suddenly she was hit with an idea, "Um, Al was just telling me that she wanted to come with us."

Al whipped her head around towards Kirsten and gave her a look of death, but before she could say anything, Ashley started, "Oh, Al! That's so great! I'm so excited! I'm so glad you convinced her, Kirsten. I've been trying to do that for a week." Ashley continued rambling on as she started walking towards the car.

At this point, Al grabbed Kirsten and whispered, "What are you doing! Now I have to suffer through an afternoon at the mall with that psycho!"

"Do you honestly think that I was going to pass up the chance to bring some good company on this little adventure? This way, you can keep me sane," Kirsten told her.

Al sighed, "Fine...let's make a deal. We don't leave the other one alone with Ashley. Ever."

"Works for me. Come on let's go," Kirsten said and the two followed Ashley to the car.

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APRIL 6, 1980

SAN DIEGO, CA

"We are gathered here in the sight of God and these witnesses to unite Michael William Shepherd and Ashley Jane Cooper in holy matrimony…"

Kirsten smiled at Jimmy and then took in the surroundings of the Church. She had to admit, Ashley had done a fabulous job. It was decorate elegantly…gorgeously in fact. The flowers were mostly white roses and lilies, but there were some magenta colored ones as well that matched perfectly with the magenta gowns that the bridesmaids were wearing. The church was located right next to a small beach in San Diego, which provided a beautiful backdrop.

Kirsten snapped back to reality when she heard the minister concluded, "And I now present for the first time Mr. and Mrs. Michael Shepherd. You may kiss the bride." And cheers erupted among the guests as the bride and groom kissed.

The reception was being held outside in a park, right on the beach, and the food was fabulous…soup, salad, various pasta dishes, chicken, and beef. And that was all before the dessert too. Kirsten swore that her stomach was going to explode, and was a little worried about taking her dress off after she was sure that she had gained a few pounds from this meal alone.

The conversations between the guests were broken up by the announcer, "Now it's time for Michael and Ashley to share their first dance as man and wife." Michael led Ashley onto the dance floor as a slow song started playing. Kirsten couldn't quite pinpoint what song it was, but it fit perfectly with the mood of the wedding.

"Now, Michael and Ashley invite the other couples to join them on the dance floor," the announcer stated.

Kirsten looked up and saw Jimmy standing in front of her and he said, "May I have this dance."

Kirsten smiled at his attempt to act so formal and replied, "How can I resist?"

Jimmy led her to the dance floor and once he reached it, wrapped his arms around her small body, and started leading her in a dance. Kirsten kissed him on the cheek and then rested her head on his shoulder, enjoying the moment with Jimmy.

Before the song was over, Kirsten looked up and what she saw in front of her took her smile off her face. She felt her own body tense up, and she knew Jimmy noticed too. _She_ _is here_, Kirsten thought. _Elise…Cami…whatever her name is_. Kirsten couldn't believe it.

"Hey, Kirst…what's wrong?" Jimmy said in response to the fact that Kirsten had totally stopped dancing.

"You didn't tell me that she was going to be here. You must have known," Kirsten said in a slightly bitter tone.

Jimmy turned around to see what she was staring at. _Shit…Cami,_ Jimmy thought. "Um, well, her family and my family, are good friends, and-"

"Save it, Jimmy. You should have at least had the decency to warn me beforehand," Kirsten told him.

"I…I guess I thought if I told you…you wouldn't come," Jimmy said sheepishly.

"Of course I was going to come…I was in the wedding after all," Kirsten stated and stormed off away from the dance floor.

Jimmy sighed. But before he could go after Kirsten, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to find Cami standing right in front of him.

"Hey there," Cami said.

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Kirsten found an empty chair under a tree and sat down, trying to collect her thoughts. She occasionally sipped from her glass of champagne that she was holding. _Why didn't he just tell me,_ she thought. _This makes it seem like he's hiding something…_

Just as Kirsten was getting lost her thoughts, a voice interrupted her. "You know, he loves you, right?" Kirsten looked up to see Al standing in front of her.

"He does…you must see it," Al continued. "Look, I heard about the whole Elise Cameron thing…I'm sorry about that, it must suck. Jimmy's a guy…he does stupid things sometimes, but trust me when I say that he does love you."

"I know he does," Kirsten sighed. "It's just everything was going so well until she showed up…I guess I'm just worried he'll dump me or something."

"He would be a fool to do that. Trust me, you have a lot up on Cami. You're prettier, smarter, and in my opinion, much cooler. You have nothing to worry about," Al informed her.

"Thanks," Kirsten replied.

"Now, go get him," Al stated.

Kirsten nodded and walked back towards the dance floor. When she reached it, she saw Jimmy and Cami dancing. She felt herself tense up a bit, but tried to tell herself to relax. _They're just friends…they're just friends,_ she repeated in her head. _No big deal…just dancing, right?_

But Kirsten lost it when she saw Cami place her lips on Jimmy's and start kissing him. Kirsten just stared at them, with her jaw dropped. She noticed that Jimmy made no attempt to immediately end the kiss. As they rotated while dancing, they broke apart with Jimmy facing in Kirsten's direction. Their eyes met and Kirsten stormed off in the opposite direction. She wasn't sure where she would go…she had come to San Diego with Jimmy's family. She decided she would take a bus back home. Hell, she'd hitchhike if she had to. All she knew was that she couldn't stay here right now.

Jimmy broke away from Cami as soon as eyes met with Kirsten's. As she ran off in the other direction, he tried to call after her, "Kirsten! Kirsten, wait!" But the attempt was futile, as Kirsten didn't stop. He had screwed up royally this time. _Damn, it! I blew it! _he thought.

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_Sorry…it's a little angsty, but it of course it will be resolved._


	16. Chapter 15: The Unforgettable

**Chapter 15: The Unforgettable**

MAY 9, 1980

NEWPORT BEACH, CA

"So Kirst…after school today…shopping for prom dresses…you in?" Kelly asked her as the two were eating lunch together.

Kirsten looked up from her food that she had been pushing around her plate and said, "Um, yeah, sure…not that I'll be going, though."

"I thought you and Jimmy were trying to work things out," Kelly replied.

"I don't know…I really haven't talked to him all that much…I mean, I wouldn't talk to him for over a week after it happened…and then it was spring break and I was gone…and I really haven't had the desire to talk to him since then…we've tried to talk a few times, but I still feel like I need some space away from him…" Kirsten rambled.

"So are you guys officially broken up?"

"I don't even know…I guess we're on a break or something…I would say that prom is doubtful at this point."

"So, what did Jimmy tell you?" Kelly asked.

"He said that she kissed him…that she started the whole thing…I saw them, and I agree that she started it, but my problem is that he made no attempt to end it immediately…and I think he kissed her back. He swears that she's gone for good…the problem is that's the same thing that he said when she showed up on Valentine's Day and then she shows up a month and a half later at the wedding and kisses him…so, it's hard for me to believe that she won't show up again," Kirsten told her.

"What if he asks you to prom? Will you go with him?" Kelly asked.

Kirsten thought for a moment and then answered, "Um, yeah, I guess I will…but I am not assuming that we're going together. If he wants to go with me, he has to ask me. If another guy asks me before Jimmy, then I'll go with him."

Kelly eyed her for a second, "Wait, I didn't know you were considering going with another guy."

"Why not?" Kirsten answered. "I mean, we're kind of on a break…I think the gossip mill has gotten around to everyone that we're not exactly on the best of terms right now…so, yeah, if another guy asks me first, I'll go with him."

"So, South Coast after school?" Kelly confirmed.

"Sounds great," Kirsten replied.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot to ask you. I was thinking about going surfing tomorrow…suppose to be a really good swell coming in…do you want to come?" Kelly asked.

Kirsten tensed up at the idea of surfing. She hadn't really thought about it since her post-accident nightmares had disappeared. But the thought of even going brought all the memories back. But she didn't really want anyone, including her best friend, knowing that the surfing accident had affected her that much.

Kirsten forced a smile and said, "Um, yeah…sounds good."

"Great! I have to get to class, but I'll catch up with you after school. See ya later!" Kelly said.

"Bye!" Kirsten told her friend as she walked away.

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Kirsten was lying on her surfboard, watching her friends surf. Yesterday, Kirsten had found the perfect dress for prom. _Now if only I had a date,_ she thought as she sighed to herself.

"Yo, Kirsten!" Kelly yelled over. "Aren't you going to surf at all!"

Kirsten shuttered at the words. This was the first time she had gone out with her surfboard at all since her accident last Labor Day, and quite honestly, she didn't really want to be out there at the moment. With every great wave that approached her, she told herself that she was going to catch it. But every time, she pulled out at the last minute, with memories of the accident rushing to her head.

"Earth to Kirsten!" Kelly called out again.

"What! Oh, right…yeah…just waiting for the right wave," Kirsten lied.

Kelly looked at her skeptically and said, "Kirst, you've been out here for like half an hour…and you haven't caught a single wave…I've caught like five already, and you're a better surfer than I am."

"Well, um…" Kirsten started, but no words seem to come to her.

"You know, the waves are a lot smaller than they were the day of your accident…" Kelly reminded.

"Yeah I know…I just…" Kirsten trailed off. Suddenly an idea hit her. She hung her foot in the water and then suddenly yelled, "Ouch! Shit!"

"What is it!" Kelly asked.

"I think a fish like nibbled on me or something…you know I never did like all the fish…I think I'll just go in…" Kirsten said and started paddling away before Kelly could stop her.

_Damn it Kirsten!_ Kelly thought. _Why are you making excuses….you just need to get back on the horse._

After Kirsten made her way to shore, she sat down on her towel, watching everyone surf, and thought about how much of a coward she was. _Why couldn't I just do it…just get over this fear…I just need to catch one wave…_

Kirsten's thoughts were interrupted by the voice of her friend, Brad, who said, "Is this seat next to you taken?"

Kirsten looked up to him and smiled, "Now it is."

"So, you had it with the surfing today?" Brad asked as he sat down.

Kirsten nodded and said, "Yeah, just wasn't feeling it today."

"I know the feeling," Brad said.

Then a moment of silence passed between them. Kirsten was watching the water, but she almost felt like Brad's eyes were staring at her. She didn't really want to look to find out, though. She wasn't used to this from other guys…only from Jimmy.

Brad broke the silence when he said, "So, are you doing okay?" When Kirsten glanced at him, he continued, "Well, I heard about you and Jimmy…you're on a break right?"

Kirsten let out a quick laugh and said, "Yeah, I guess…honestly, I don't really know for sure…I just know I'm not really talking to him right now."

"Well, I don't know if this would be out of place to ask or not…and I apologize in advance if it is…but I was wondering if you wanted to go to prom with me. I wanted to make up for leaving you alone at cotillion last summer when I was sick," Brad said.

Kirsten gave him a look and said, "Is that the only reason why you're asking me? To say 'sorry' for cotillion?"

"No, of course not. I want to take you. We can go as friends," Brad said.

"'Friends'?" Kirsten asked.

"Well, I'll admit…I always have liked you…but it can just be as friends."

Kirsten thought for a moment, and then answered, "Yes, Brad. I'll go with you to prom."

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Just as dinner was finishing at the Nichol house later that evening, the doorbell rang.

"Let me get it!" Hailey called and chased towards the door. Kirsten walked after her, but stopped momentarily when she heard a 'Hey Kiddo!' coming from the person at the front door. She knew it was Jimmy.

However, she continued walking toward the door…she had known that she would have to face him one on one sooner or later. When she reached the door, she saw Jimmy standing with bouquet of bright colored flowers of various types. It was tied with a satin ribbon.

"Hi Kirsten," Jimmy said when she appeared in the doorway.

"Hi," Kirsten said softly. Then she turned to her little sister and said, "Hailey, I need to talk to Jimmy alone…can you go play in the house for me?"

"Can I say 'bye' to Jimmy before he leaves?" Hailey asked.

Kirsten nodded and Hailey turned and ran back into the family room to play with her toys. Kirsten walked out the front door and closed it behind her. "So, what brings you here, Jimmy?" she asked somewhat bluntly, although she had a pretty good idea what it was going to be about already.

"Well, these are for you," Jimmy said and he handed her the bouquet.

Kirsten took them in her hands and said, "They're beautiful…thank you."

Jimmy started again, "And I wanted to ask if you would go to prom with me? I've been stupid and selfish about what happened at my sister's wedding. But I promise you, besides that kiss, nothing ever happened between us."

Kirsten was looking down at the flowers, but finally looked up to meet his eyes and said, "You're too late. Brad already asked me to go and I said, 'yes'…since I thought we were taking a break or whatever. It's just as friends. I just need some more time, Jimmy. I know I've had a lot, but I need more. And I hate to say it, but you said nothing happened with Cami at Valentine's Day and then look what happened at the wedding. It's going to take more than that line to convince me."

There was an uncomfortable silence between them, before Kirsten finally continued, "Look, Jimmy…I do want to try to work things out…I do…I just need space."

All Jimmy could do was nod. Kirsten could tell that he was furious at her…but if he expected her to just take him back after just that, he was dead wrong. Finally, he spoke, "I'm going to go in and say 'bye' to Hailey before I leave, if that's okay."

Kirsten moved out of the way and watched Jimmy walked toward the family room where Hailey was playing. Instead of waiting for him to come back to the door, Kirsten went upstairs to her room. By the time she reached the window in her bedroom, she spotted Jimmy getting into his car and pulling away from the house.

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MAY 24, 1980

NEWPORT BEACH, CA

Kirsten smiled at Brad as they broke from their embrace after the song ended. Kirsten was having the best time at the dance…she wasn't sure that she would enjoy herself, but everything with Brad was going great…and the whole, 'just as friends' thing seemed to be working out great.

Kirsten also loved the dress that she had picked out to wear to the dance. The dress was a halter dress that was made out of pink satin with a meshlike black fabric that covered the pink to give it a nice fabric layered look. It looked gorgeous on her with her hair falling loosely in curls around her face.

"Hey, Kirst. Do you want to go on a carriage ride?" Brad asked. One of the features at prom was a 'romantic' carriage ride outside. Kirsten hesitated for a moment…thinking that he might be trying to move past the whole 'friends' thing. But Brad eliminated this when he said, "Just as friends."

Kirsten smiled and said, "Then, of course!"

Brad led Kirsten toward the carriage area and opened the door for her to get in. But before Brad could get in, the carriage started moving away. Kirsten was about to yell at the horseman to stop when she saw Jimmy sitting in the carriage with her.

"What are you doing!" Kirsten practically yelled at him.

"I needed to talk to you," Jimmy started. "I've been going crazy not being with you…not talking to you. And I'm here to get you back."

Kirsten was silent and gave him a look that told him it was okay to continue.

"Kirsten, you are the world to me…and whether you believe it or not, you are the only one. I know I said that to you on Valentine's Day and I broke that commitment to you at my sister's wedding. But, if I learned anything from the past month and a half that I spent without you, is that you really are the only one for me. I never stopped thinking about you. The truth is that I have never known anyone like you. You are amazing in so many ways…you're gorgeous, smart, talented, artistic, kind…and honestly, I don't know if I can live without you…Cami is absolutely nothing compared to you. I love you, Kirsten. I have always loved you, since the moment I laid eyes on you. And always will love you."

Kirsten felt her eyes growing watery, and she could tell that she was about to start crying as the emotion of Jimmy's words were bringing her own emotions out. She really wanted to believe him..._I do believe him,_ she thought. _But what if it happens again…_

"I really want to believe you, Jimmy. But how do I know this won't happen again?" Kirsten said in a cracking voice.

"All I can do is promise you, Kirsten. I promise that I will never, ever cheat on you…ever again…even just a kiss…you have my word…and as a token of my sincerity, I want to give you this. He handed her a small box and inside was an open silver heart that was attached to a silver necklace chain.

"Oh my God, Jimmy. It's beautiful!" Kirsten exclaimed.

"It's to show you my love for you…the heart for love…look, I know it might take a little while to earn back your trust, but I love you and I will never hurt you ever again…especially in this way."

The tears in Kirsten's eyes that she had been containing for so long finally fell.

"Are you okay?" Jimmy asked, concerned.

Kirsten smiled and said, "Yeah," and threw her arms around Jimmy, a signal that she was accepting him back into her life. After the long hug ended, Jimmy pulled her back into a passionate kiss that continued until the carriage ride was over.

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	17. Chapter 16: The Baby Sit

**Chapter 16: The Baby-Sit**

JUNE 2, 1980

NEWPORT BEACH, CA

"Jimmy!" Kirsten giggled as Jimmy tickled her with kisses on her neck. "Stop it! Jimmy!" Kirsten squealed as she started laughing even harder.

Jimmy stopped momentarily and smiled at her. He was lying underneath her on the bed of her bedroom. "I thought you liked it when I did that," he teased.

Kirsten was still giggling when she answered, "Yeah, but it tickles!"

Jimmy continued kissing her on the neck, making her giggle once more and as he was doing this, he proceeded to remove the tank top she was wearing.

"Jimmy!" Kirsten giggled again. "My parents are downstairs!"

"So what?" Jimmy said. He continued to kiss her, and Kirsten made no attempt to stop his actions. Jimmy then rolled the two of them over so that he was on top, pinning her down to the bed.

"Jimmy! It's getting late and what if my dad walks in on us again?" Kirsten giggled as they continued to kiss.

Jimmy slowed down, but didn't stop, and in between kisses said, "You do have a point. I think he would really have me killed this time around. And it is a school night after all…"

Jimmy ceased the kissing and rolled off Kirsten onto his back. But to his surprise, Kirsten rolled back on top of him and started kissing him again.

"I thought you wanted me to leave?" Jimmy inquired.

"Just because you need to leave doesn't mean I want you to leave," Kirsten said and continued kissing him. A minute later, though she pulled away from him and said, "But you probably should go…unfortunately…"

Kirsten rolled off Jimmy, sat up on her bed, and pulled her tank top back over her head. They both got off the bed, but then started kissing again and fell right back onto it.

"The process of leaving seems to take a while, doesn't it?" Jimmy stated.

"Yes it does," Kirsten said and continued kissing him.

Jimmy finally broke up the kissing by saying, "I really should go home."

Kirsten sighed and said, "I know you should."

They got back off the bed again and managed not to end up back on it this time.

Just as Jimmy was about to leave, he asked, "Hey, Kirst. What are you doing this weekend? I was thinking we could take the boat to Catalina or something…do some snorkeling, kayaking…what do you think?"

The smile on Kirsten's face faded slightly, "I can't go this weekend, Jimmy…I promised my parents ages ago that I would baby-sit Hailey for them this weekend…they're leaving for Palm Springs on Friday…I'm sorry…you can come and help me out if you want…"

Jimmy smiled at the idea, "That actually sounds like fun…sure! Hailey always makes for an interesting babysitting adventure."

Kirsten had a surprised look on her face, "Fun? Wasn't the exact response I expected…well, I mean considering Catalina is the other option for you."

"Well, Catalina isn't an option without you. And besides, we can make it fun…even without Hailey," Jimmy said and winked at her.

Kirsten smiled and said, "Yes we can…now you better get out of here. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye Kirst," Jimmy said and kissed her before he left the room.

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JUNE 4, 1980

NEWPORT BEACH, CA

"Now Kirsten, you have all the phone numbers, right? All the emergency numbers, the number of the hotel, and the neighbor's number," Katherine inquired.

"Yes, Mom! It's not like I haven't baby-sat for Hailey before," Kirsten said, rolling her eyes.

"Just checking that's all. Okay, Mrs. Jones is dropping off Hailey from gymnastics class around five o'clock," Katherine informed her.

"Right, got it. Oh, and Mom…just to let you know, Jimmy is probably going to be coming by some this weekend to help out with Hailey," Kirsten told her mom.

"That's fine," Katherine replied, unsurprised as Jimmy had helped baby-sit for Hailey before. "Bye, sweetie! Have a good time this weekend," and Katherine embraced her in a hug.

"Bye, Mom!" Kirsten said and hugged her back.

As Kirsten broke from the embrace, her father approached her. "Have a good weekend, Kiki. We'll be home late Saturday night…probably around midnight. I think you'll hold down the fort just fine until then," Caleb said.

"I'm up to the challenge. I'll be fine, Dad. Have fun in Palm Springs!" Kirsten replied.

"Bye, Kiki," Caleb said and gave her a quick hug.

"Bye!" Kirsten said as they both walked out the door to leave, closing it behind them.

Kirsten walked over to the kitchen, grabbed the phone, and dialed a familiar number.

"Hey, Jimmy!" Kirsten said into the phone. "Yeah, they just left. You can come over anytime….Okay, then I'll see you in a few…Okay, bye!" and hung up the phone.

About five minutes later, the doorbell rang and Kirsten wasn't surprised to find Jimmy standing at the door when she answered it. In his hand there was a case of Corona.

"Hey!" Kirsten said and greeted him with a kiss. "Nice choice on the beer."

"Well, it is one of my favorites, after all. Let's get them to the fridge," Jimmy said with a smile.

"Yeah, good call," Kirsten said and the two of them walked into the kitchen. As Jimmy was putting the Coronas into the fridge, Kirsten said with a sly look on her face, "So Hailey doesn't come home until 5 tonight…"

"So that means we have the house to ourselves until then," Jimmy said with a slight smile.

"Exactly," Kirsten said, getting close enough to wrap her arms around him.

"Well, we definitely have to take advantage of that," Jimmy said and kissed Kirsten and then picked her up and led her towards the couch…

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Kirsten practically flew off of Jimmy when she heard the front door opening, knowing that Hailey had just arrived home. _Damn it. We lost track of time,_ Kirsten thought. She quickly pulled her shirt back over her head and tried desperately to smooth out her disheveled hair. Meanwhile, Jimmy got off the couch and managed to get his shirt back on just as Hailey entered the room.

"Hi!" Hailey yelled excitedly as she came in. "Hi Jimmy!" Hailey said and gave him a hug. "Are you going to help baby-sit?" she asked with hopeful eyes.

"Of course, Kiddo! That's why I'm here," Jimmy answered.

"Yay! Good!" Hailey practically screamed. "So what are we having for dinner, Kiks? You aren't cooking, are you?"

Kirsten chuckled, "Very funny, Hailey. No, I'm not cooking. I'm going to go order a pizza."

"Awesome! Hey guys, can we play some board games while we wait for the pizza?" Hailey asked.

"Sounds great. Why don't you go get some of them, Kiddo?" Jimmy replied.

"Okay," and with that Hailey bounded out of the room.

"Are you sure that you're ready to take Hailey on?" Kirsten asked after ordering the pizza. "She's pretty competitive."

"Look who's talking," Jimmy replied.

"I'm not that competitive!" Kirsten insisted.

"Right…Just keep telling yourself that," Jimmy said.

Just before Kirsten could replied, Hailey yelled into the room, "Time to play Clue!"

"Remember, Kirsten…It's just a game," Jimmy joked.

"Shut up!" Kirsten replied.

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After a couple rounds of Clue and a pizza dinner, the three of them played a game of Monopoly. Jimmy ended up losing all his money to both Hailey and Kirsten, who were playing extremely intense. The two sisters were locked in a dead even tie, which lasted for what seemed like two hours, at which point Jimmy decided that they should call the game.

It was nine o'clock now, and they had just finished putting Hailey to bed. She actually for once went to bed rather easily, but Kirsten figured that she had a rather long day, with dance, gymnastics, and competitive board games. Kirsten was tired herself and slumped onto the couch at which point she turned on the TV, while Jimmy pulled out two of the Coronas from the fridge.

"Oh, a _Dallas_ rerun is on! It's the one where Miss Ellie gets breast cancer and has to have surgery. It's such a good episode!" Kirsten exclaimed.

"I can't believe you watch that show," Jimmy said as he handed her the beer. "I mean it's about how all these rich people have all these problems and lead dysfunctional lives."

Kirsten took a swig out of the bottle and said, "Oh, shut up. You know you watch it…and that you secretly like it!"

Jimmy scoffed at the idea, "Yeah right!"

"You know you do," Kirsten teased.

"Shut up," Jimmy said and started kissing her. As their kissing grew more intense, they laid down on the couch, with Jimmy on top of Kirsten and both of their shirts removed. As they continued kissing, their hands roamed the other's body, and Jimmy's hands managed to find their way to the button of Kirsten's jeans. He slowly started to undo it.

"Jimmy," Kirsten said as she took his hand away from the button of her pants. "I'm not…I don' think…"

"Hey, it's okay. I'm sorry. I just thought you might be…and with your parent's gone…" Jimmy apologized, trailing off.

"I told you I still wasn't ready. And regardless, Hailey's right upstairs…" Kirsten told him. "I guess I just need more time…"

Jimmy sighed. He was hoping that she was finally ready. He was trying to wait patiently, but lately it was getting harder and harder. "Hey no worries. Whenever you're ready."

Kirsten smiled at him and said, "That's why I love you. Thanks."

"I love you too," Jimmy said and then continued kissing her…

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Saturday had turned out to be surprisingly fun for Kirsten and Jimmy. It was a gorgeous day, so they took Hailey to the beach for the afternoon, and returned in the evening for take-out Mexican food and a viewing of _Lady and the Tramp_ on TV. After Hailey had gone to bed, Kirsten and Jimmy took out a few− well more than a few− Coronas to drink and spent more "quality" time together.

After a fairly lengthy make-out session, the couple managed to stop when they realized that the movie _Grease_ was being played special on TV.

"I love this movie! It's so great! And John Travolta is pretty hot," Kirsten said as she started downing yet another beer and started to feel a buzz.

"Ouch! That hurts!" Jimmy joked.

"It doesn't mean I don't think you're hot too," Kirsten corrected herself.

"Good…I was worried there for a sec," Jimmy said laughing.

Just as the movie broke for it's first commercial, Kirsten heard a low hum in the background. The garage door.

"Shit! It's my parents! It's only 10:15…they were suppose to be home at midnight!" Kirsten exclaimed. "Look at the mess!"

There were empty beer bottles all over the table and two bottles that had just been opened.

"What should we do?" Jimmy asked.

"Um, I'll get a trash bag. Take these," Kirsten said, handing him the two almost full bottles of beer, "and…um…flush it down the toilet."

"Down the toilet?" asked Jimmy.

"Yeah! Come on, hurry up!" Kirsten told him.

While Kirsten quickly grabbed a trash bag and started clearing off the beer bottles from the coffee table, Jimmy emptied the two bottles in the toilet, and flushed it to dispose of the beer. Jimmy then ran back to the family room and helped Kirsten with the rest of bottles.

Just as the pair was heading out the back door, Caleb called, "Kiki! Where are you?"

"Shit! Come on, let's go!" Kirsten said. They took the bag of empty bottles into the side yard where the trash cans were. They started emptying the bottles into the trash, but froze when they heard a voice behind them.

"So this is what you two have been doing this weekend. Drinking beer," Caleb voice said, surprising them.

Kirsten slowly turned around to see her father and tried to say something, but nothing came out.

"I'm disappointed in the two of you! Kiki, what were you thinking?" Caleb said in a slightly raised tone.

"I'm sorry, Dad. I just…um…" Kirsten sputtered out.

"No excuses. Grounded for two weeks. No TV, no phone, no going out, no one coming over, and that includes Jimmy over there," Caleb told her.

Kirsten lowered her head and said, "Okay." She knew she deserved it. Caught drinking by her parents while she was supposed to be watching Hailey.

"And as for you, James, I'm not going to call your parents, but I'd say it's time for you to head home before I decide to change my mind…I like you, but next time I might not be so generous," Caleb told him.

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. Bye, Kirst," Jimmy said and turned to walk out the back gate.

"House. Now. It's time to tell your mother about this," Caleb said and turned walking toward the house.

Kirsten sighed as she followed him. _How does he always manage to catch us at the worst times,_ she wondered.

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Meanwhile, Hailey stared out a window from upstairs and saw the entire thing. _Kirsten and Jimmy are so busted_, she thought. _Late night beer drinking. _She could hear her father chastising them and giving Kirsten a two-week grounding. _Well, I guess that's one thing I could do to make Dad mad if I ever wanted to…_

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In The O.C. Season 1 Episode, "The Third Wheel," Jimmy and Kirsten talk about the time when they were babysitting Hailey when Kirsten's parents went to Palm Springs. They flushed beer down the toilet and got caught throwing out the bottles. This is were the idea for this chapter came from.

I do not own _Dallas_ or _Grease._ _Dallas_ aired from April 1978 to May 1991, and during season 3 (1979-1980), it aired on CBS on Friday nights. _Grease_ was released in theaters in 1978, so I don't know if it would have played on TV by 1980 or not…just a guess.

Thanks for all the reviews…if anyone has any advise or ideas for storylines, let me know and I can try to incorporate it…hope the story is still going well


	18. Chapter 17: The Family of the Year

**Chapter 17: The Family of the Year**

JUNE 26, 1980

AVALON, CA

"Oh, my God! That was amazing. The water was so clear and there were so many cool fish!" Kirsten exclaimed as she climbed back onto the boat.

"I know! It was really great! I'm glad we finally got to do this afternoon of snorkeling," Jimmy said as he followed her.

"Well, I guess my two-week grounding coupled with finals didn't really help, but now it's summer!" Kirsten said excitedly. "We're finally done with junior year…I can't believe we're going to be seniors now!"

"I know! It's crazy…this year went by so fast," Jimmy replied.

"Yeah…I did," Kirsten mulled. "Definitely had its ups and downs…but overall, definitely a good one," she said and kissed him.

Jimmy continued kissing her and mumbled, "Definitely good."

Eventually the kiss broke and Jimmy said, "We should probably start heading back to Newport if we want to make it back by dinner time."

"Yeah, probably should…especially since I'm at least attempting to stay on my dad's good side these days…so I don't get grounded again," Kirsten told him.

"Oh, yeah, speaking of which, congratulations!" Jimmy told her.

"Congratulations?" Kirsten asked, having absolutely no idea about what he was congratulating her for.

"Have you looked in _Riviera Magazine_ lately? Your family was chosen as 'The Family of the Year.' My mom said there's a party at your house on Saturday for it," Jimmy informed her.

Kirsten started laughing and said, "How the hell did that happen? How is my family 'The Family of the Year'? And how did I not even know?"

Jimmy shrugged and said, "You are the Nichols. What better family?"

Kirsten let out a 'Ha!' and said, "Do you have any idea how screwed up my family is? I mean, my father is a workaholic and a ruthless businessman. My mom, as good a person she is, has issues. My seven-year old sister is probably corrupted to the age of a teenager. And me, I mean I don't even know where to begin…"

"Well, to me, you are perfect," Jimmy said and gave her a quick kiss. "And besides, whose family isn't dysfunctional?"

"I guess," Kirsten agreed. And with that, Jimmy started up the motor of the speed boat and started driving towards Newport, while Kirsten thought, _Just nobody seems to idolize other people's dysfunctional families…_

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JUNE 28, 1980

NEWPORT BEACH, CA

It was a beautiful morning, but to Kirsten's dismay, the morning of 'The Family of the Year' party. It made her want to vomit. _These people will take any excuse to throw one of these parties,_ she thought.

She stared at the cover of _Riviera Magazine_, at the family picture of the Nichols taken at their Christmas party last year, and read, 'Honoring the Family of the Year: The Nichol Family.'

Kirsten opened the magazine and read the first lines of 'The Family of the Year' article. 'It's safe to say that when people think of the ideal family of Newport Beach, their minds immediately go to the Nichol Family. Powerful CEO Caleb Nichol along with his gorgeous and charitable wife, Katherine, and his two beautiful daughters, seventeen-year-old Kirsten, who will be a senior in the fall at Harbor High School, and seven-year-old Hailey, who will begin second grade in September, comprise this year's 'Family of the Year'. Though many people cannot remember a time when Caleb Nichol wasn't one of the most commanding people in the community, he rose from humble beginnings. Upon graduating from college, Caleb married Bostonian socialite Katherine Patterson, and the couple moved out west to Southern California with almost nothing. But Caleb Nichol's smart business sense has led him to found and become the CEO of The Newport Group, one of the biggest and most influential development companies on the west coast…'

The article continued on, giving a miniature life story of the Nichols. Kirsten had already read it once and really didn't feel like reading the rest of it again. Although it was all true, it seemed like everything was sugar-coated to Kirsten. That there were no flaws, no hard times for the family. That everything was perfect all the time. _I guess when you are the family of the year, everything should be perfect, right?_

Kirsten left her room to go downstairs to get some breakfast, but stopped right next to her father's office when she heard him yelling into the phone.

"No! This cannot wait until Monday. It must get done now, Shaun!" Caleb yelled into his office phone. "This deal needs to happen! And I mean by any means necessary!"

Kirsten sighed. 'By any means necessary' sounded a bit suspicious. She wasn't dumb, though. She knew that her father didn't get where he was by being a nice guy. She tried to get a bit closer to the door to listen better, but her feet got tangled up in her slippers and she ended up on the floor directly in front of the open door with a thud.

"Hold on a second," Caleb said into the phone. He looked over at his daughter on the floor and said, "Kirsten, come in and sit."

Kirsten reluctantly entered her father's office and sat at a chair in front of his desk, while Caleb continued on the phone.

"Like I said, by any means…I want to hear back from you by this afternoon. And the deal better be done." Caleb said and hung up the phone.

"Kiki," he said, turning to his daughter. "Do you enjoy eavesdropping on my conversations?"

Kirsten rolled her eyes and said, "Well I couldn't help but overhear that you are closing another one of your shady deals."

"You are way out of line, Kirsten!" Caleb raised his voice.

"I'm not stupid, Dad. You would think though that the head of 'The Family of the Year' would spend a little more time worrying about his family that some illegal business deal. Like how in the past year Mom has been drinking too much…way more that she ever did before," Kirsten stated firmly.

"I've had just about enough of this, Kiki!" Caleb was now yelling.

Kirsten stood up and said, "The only reason why you are getting so upset is because you know it's true. Just give that some thought…"

"Kirsten!" Caleb yelled at her, but she walked out of the room without turning around and went downstairs.

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"Okay, now just a few more shots," said the cameraman of _Riviera Magazine_. "Very nice, very nice," he continued as he snapped the camera. "Okay, all done. And congratulations again."

The fake smile that had been plastered on her face for the last 15 minutes for _Riviera Magazine's _'The Family of the Year' photo shoot immediately left once the cameraman was done, and she walked away from her family members without a word. She saw Jimmy in the distance and formed a slight smile on her face as she approached him.

"Hey, you," she said as she hugged him and then gave him a kiss.

"Hey…so how are you holding up with this party…it seems pretty uneventful," Jimmy asked.

"The party's going okay, I guess…but things with my dad, not so good," Kirsten told him.

"What happened?" Jimmy inquired.

"Well, I got into a fight with him this morning…I overheard him talking to my Uncle Shaun, who's not really my uncle, just an old friend of my dad's who works for The Newport Group…but anyway, it sounded like some shady deal was going down…he caught be listening to him and then I yelled at him for not paying enough attention to our family…I think I might be grounded again," Kirsten sighed.

Jimmy wrapped his arms around her and whispered, "I'm sorry, Kirst."

Kirsten smiled as they ended the hug, but Jimmy still kept his arm around her, and said, "It's okay. It's not like it hasn't happened before…but it does make it a little hard to pretend to be the perfect little family

The couple stood in silence, with Jimmy's arm still wrapped firmly around Kirsten and pulling her close to him. Kirsten glanced across the backyard and saw her father talking to Uncle Shaun. _Probably making sure he wraps up his dishonest deal on time, _she thought.

"So Shaun…everything set?" Caleb asked him.

"Yeah, the deal is done…but I'm going to tell you…Robert Sanders is not going to be happy," Shaun told him.

"Well, we knew that going in, didn't we? The important thing is that it's done and I can enjoy my party," Caleb said as he sipped his merlot.

A moment later, Caleb felt a hand grab his shoulder. He turned around and said, "Ah, Robert, how are-"

"You son of a bitch!" Robert yelled out and punched Caleb squarely in the jaw. "You screwed me!" he exclaimed and punched Caleb again, this time in the nose and sent him flying back into the pool.

"Daddy!" Hailey screamed out in response to her father flying back into the pool.

"Hey, man, take it easy," a man said as he tried to restrain Robert Sanders along with another man. "You better get out of here now. Before the cops show up."

Across the pool, Jimmy and Kirsten witnessed the entire thing. "Oh my God!" Kirsten exclaimed.

"Well, this is new," Jimmy said in response to the scene.

"As much as it added excitement to the party, let's hope it doesn't become a regular occurrence," Kirsten replied and walked over to help her family.

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Kirsten knocked softly on her parent's door and entered when she heard her father say, "Come in."

"Kiki," he said, somewhat surprised. Caleb's face was already forming bruises and he was holding and ice pack to it to try to prevent swelling.

"Hey Dad…how are you feeling?" Kirsten asked.

"As well as expected, but don't worry, it's not too bad," Caleb replied.

"Listen, Dad…about this afternoon, I just wanted to apologize…I-" Kirsten started before getting cut off.

"Kirsten…you don't have to apologize…you were right…and I hope I can put your mind at ease by telling you that I plan to have a talk with your mother…I'm just not into the whole therapy…I want to try to work it out at home," Caleb explained.

Kirsten smiled and then went over and did something it seemed like she hadn't done in a long time. She hugged her dad. And not just one of those quick hugs, but a real hug. When she pulled back, she said sincerely, "Thanks, Dad. It really means a lot to me."

Caleb smiled warmly at his daughter, and then said, "I think I'm going to get some sleep now…it's been an eventful evening…see you tomorrow, Kiki."

"Good night, Dad," Kirsten said as she left the room. _Maybe things will be different now…I can only hope,_ she thought.

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	19. Chapter 18: The First Time

**Chapter 18: The First Time**

JULY 3, 1980

NEWPORT BEACH, CA

"So what do you think of this suit?" Kelly asked as she held up a bikini for Kirsten to look at. The two girls had been shopping all afternoon at Fashion Island and they were both trying to find new bathing suits for the Fourth of July beach party they were going to tomorrow.

"It's cute! You should go try it on," Kirsten said.

"Yeah, okay…I'm just going to keep looking some more. So how's your dad doing after that crazy scene last week?" Kelly asked.

"Well, his nose is still broken, if that's what you mean," Kirsten replied.

"I can't believe it. The one party I can't go to and then all this drama happens," Kelly complained.

"Don't get too excited. My dad got punched twice and ended up in the pool. End of story," Kirsten told her.

"Who punched him anyway?" Kelly asked.

"Some business guy. I think my dad pissed him off with some business deal," Kirsten said as she looked through a rack of bathing suits.

"Must have pissed him off pretty badly," Kelly mused.

"Yeah I guess…It is amazing, though…right now I'm on better terms with my dad than I have been in a while."

"You mean since him catching you and Jimmy with those beer bottles…which reminds me, I still can't believe that you and Jimmy didn't take full advantage of your parents being gone, if you know what I mean," Kelly said with a wink.

"Kelly! Stop it! Anyway, Hailey was home…that would have been just…wrong," Kirsten said.

"Now that's just an excuse…I mean, you did make-out with him in the pool house mid-Christmas party," Kelly told her. But when Kirsten gave her a look, she continued, "Okay, okay, I know…when you're ready…forgive me for trying to encourage something enjoyable."

"Well, I can see that things with you and Matt are going well," Kirsten responded.

"If you must know, yes, they are going REALLY well, if you know what I mean," Kelly told her. "Oh, hey, this teal suit would totally look great on you," she said, handing it to Kirsten.

"Thanks," Kirsten said, accepting the suit. "So, really good?"

"Yep, really good," Kelly confirmed.

"Okay, that's probably enough…I already have too many bad mental images floating around in my head for now without you going into detail," Kirsten said.

"Okay, fine, I won't torture you. Just remember, Jimmy loves you…and he'll wait until you're ready…just take your time," Kelly advised.

"Thanks," Kirsten responded. However, in her mind, a million thoughts were rushing around. _I think I might be ready…am I? I think so…_

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JULY 4, 1980

NEWPORT BEACH, CA

The word 'crazy' would have been an understatement to describe the stretches of Newport Beach during Fourth of July. Even 'insane' wouldn't do it justice. Every spare space of sand on the beach was taken and there was a wide array of people, both from Newport and its surrounding area, and from out of town, everyone from families to groups of friends. And many of these people were no less than slightly intoxicated to say the least, which made for some great crowd watching from Courtney's beach house.

"Wow! Look at that guy over there…see him, the one in the blue bathing suit?" asked Courtney.

"Oh, man, he's totally wasted," Matt commented.

"And he's actually going to attempt to ask that girl out over there," Courtney said.

"Well, alcohol usually gives people a little more self confidence," Kelly stated.

"This should be good," Karen added in.

Jimmy turned to Kirsten and asked, "Hey do you want to go in the water, Kirst? It's getting pretty hot."

"You read my mind…let's go."

A few minutes later, Kirsten and Jimmy found themselves at the edge of the water, and as a wave crashed the water rushed up and hit both of their feet, Kirsten screamed, "Oh, shit, it's cold!"

"Yeah I know…the one bad thing about the Southern California ocean…it never does get very warm," Jimmy added.

"Okay, I think this was a mistake…just the feet definitely cooled me down enough," Kirsten said, slowly stepping back from the water.

"Oh, you definitely aren't done," Jimmy said, and before Kirsten had time to think, he grabbed her by the waist and started carrying her towards the ocean.

"Jimmy!" she screeched. "Stop it!" but all he did in reply was start laughing and continue to carry her into the water.

"Don't Jimmy…it's so cold!" Kirsten yelled, but instead, he threw her into the ocean, soaking her entire body.

"You are so paying for this!" Kirsten said, laughing.

"I am, am I?" Jimmy questioned.

"Yes, you are!" Kirsten said as she started running towards him through the water and jumped on his back, laughing. A moment later, Jimmy lost his balance and the two of them fell into the water. When they came up for air, both of them were laughing uncontrollably.

"See, told you!" Kirsten said.

"Yeah, you definitely got me, I'll give you that," Jimmy laughed.

Kirsten started laughing again too, and then said, "Yeah, but as funny as this is, it really is freezing…and it's starting to get a little dark…"

"You want to go back, I take it?" Jimmy asked, to which Kirsten nodded her head. "Okay, come on, Kirst," he said and wrapped his arm around her and they walked back up to the beach house.

After drying off and changing into clothes, Kirsten and Jimmy reappeared on the porch of the beach house, and Kirsten noticed that the sky had already gotten quite a bit darker. And this meant that the fireworks would be starting sometime soon.

"Oh, good, you two are done…were going to head over near the pier so that we have a better view of the fireworks," Kelly informed them.

"Sound good," Kirsten replied and the large group of friends started walking toward the Newport Pier.

When they started getting close to the pier, Jimmy pulled Kirsten off the boardwalk and into the sand towards the ocean and an empty spot of sand. When they sat down, Jimmy put his arm around Kirsten and pulled her close to him and they just sat there, staring at the night-view of the ocean, completely content, until an announcement was made that the fireworks were about to begin.

Colors exploded into the sky signaling the anniversary of the nation's independence. Kirsten thought that she had never seen a more spectacular fire works show. She couldn't tell if it was the bright patterns of lights in the dark sky or the arm that was wrapped around her tightly− although she assumed it was probably a little of both− but an intense feeling came over her. At that moment, she knew that she was loved…she knew that Jimmy really did love her like he kept saying…and it brought an unexpected joy to Kirsten that she didn't think she had experienced before.

Even though the fireworks show lasted for 45 minutes, Kirsten felt as though they had just begun. When the 'grand finale' ended, Jimmy turned to her, gave her a kiss, and asked, "What did you think?"

Kirsten answered, almost in a whisper, "It was great…the best."

"Yeah, it was pretty cool," Jimmy added, and then the couple continued their silence of staring into the ocean, wrapped arm and arm.

And that's when Kirsten knew…she knew it was the time. She turned her head and looked up into Jimmy's face and said, "Jimmy…I wanted to tell you…I'm ready…"

A slight smile started creeping up on Jimmy's face and he asked, "Ready? As in 'ready,' ready?"

"Yeah," Kirsten said as she smiled and then kissed him.

"Well, my house is empty tonight…if you want to…" Jimmy trailed off.

"Let's go," Kirsten told him, gaining confidence with every word.

The couple disappeared from their group of friends without so much as a goodbye as they were in a hurry to get out of there before the crowds of people did. They finally made it back to Jimmy's house, though it took longer than usual due to all the traffic through Newport.

When they got there, Jimmy led Kirsten up to his bedroom, and once the door was shut, began kissing. Their kisses were rushed and heated, both anticipating what was about to come. Less than a minute later, Kirsten was trying desperately to undo the buttons on Jimmy's shirt, and when she finally succeeded, she ran her hands over his toned chest and back. Then Jimmy untied the bow of her halter top that was at the back of her neck and lifted it over her head. He continued kissing her as he then reached behind her and unclasped her bra and let it fall to the floor. Kirsten playfully pushed him onto the bed and climbed on top of him, only for him to roll them over a moment later, so he was on the top.

"Oh, God, you're beautiful!" Jimmy said. "I love you, Kirsten!"

"I love you too, Jimmy," Kirsten replied, in a hoarse voice.

He then reached for the button of her pants and slowly undid it. _No turning back now, _Kirsten thought.

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Kirsten woke up and for a second was confused by her surroundings. But a strong arm wrapped around her and the dull pain of her body reminded herself of what had happened earlier. She stared at the clock. It read 1:02.

"Sleep okay?" Jimmy voiced asked her, surprising her slightly.

She turned to face him and said, "Were you watching me sleep?"

"Only for a few minutes," Jimmy answered and kissed her. However, when Jimmy saw that she had a blank expression on her face, he asked, "Are you okay, Kirst?"

Kirsten put a bigger smile on her face and said, "Yeah, fine," but Jimmy could tell something was wrong.

"I hurt you, didn't I…Kirst, I'm sorry…I didn't mean to…I swear," Jimmy apologized.

Kirsten smiled genuinely and said, "It's not your fault, Jimmy…I was a virgin, after all…"

"Are you sure you're okay?" Jimmy asked again.

"Yeah, I'm fine…but I should go home…since I should be there already," Kirsten told him.

"Okay. I love you," he said again and kissed her.

"Love you too," she replied and got up from the bed to dress.

"Hey, I can drive you home," Jimmy said when she was finished dressing.

"It's okay…I'll walk…I want a little fresh air," Kirsten told him.

"Okay, I'll talk to you soon," Jimmy said and kissed her again, before she left the room.

When she let herself out of the house, she felt surprisingly cool air against her skin. She shivered slightly in response, but after a moment, it felt good…almost refreshing. As she was walking, she started thinking about her and Jimmy and the dull pain that she could still feel. _Wow, definitely didn't turn out exactly the way I expected_, she thought. _Of course, it was the first time…it should only get better right? Besides, Jimmy loves me…and I think I love him…what am I saying, of course I love him…why wouldn't I…he's a great guy…everyone must feel this way after the first time, right?_

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_Thanks for all the reviews…hope that you all still like the story. I apologize if some of the chapters aren't as exciting as others…I have found that certain things have turned out to be harder for me to write than others._


	20. Chapter 19: The Road Trip

**Chapter 19: The Road Trip**

AUGUST 14, 1980

NEWPORT BEACH, CA

"So, are you excited for TJ this weekend?" Kirsten asked as she shifted in her beach chair to get more comfortable. She and Kelly were spending the entire afternoon on the beach, tanning.

"Naturally…I mean we now finally get to experience the annual summer road trip to TJ that all the seniors before us have before their senior years…I mean, dancing, tequila, sex…what could be better?" Kelly said and then laughed.

Kirsten joined in Kelly's laughing and said, "Kell…"

"Which reminds me…how's that sex life of yours coming?" Kelly asked.

"Kell!" Kirsten exclaimed and she could feel her face burning…and it wasn't from the sun.

"What! You do have one, now, don't you!" Kelly defended herself.

"Well, yeah, technically…but I don't particularly want to talk about it…I guess it's still new, you know…" Kirsten said.

"Okay, okay…just tell me, is everything going well…with that?" Kelly asked.

Kirsten sighed and said, "Yeah, yeah it's great…well, except for the first time I guess…but yeah…"

"Yeah, the first time…definitely not really great…but now that's taken care of, right?" Kelly said.

"Yeah…right…" Kirsten trailed off again.

"Hey, so what's the deal for TJ tomorrow…when are we leaving, who's driving?" Kelly asked.

"Oh, I think that Jimmy's driving…me, you, him, and Matt…and I think he said we'll probably leave around 11…so we don't run into too much traffic," Kirsten told her.

"Sounds fabulous…I can't wait!" Kelly exclaimed.

"Should be one for the ages," Kirsten agreed.

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AUGUST 15, 1980

NEWPORT BEACH, CA

Kirsten heard the car horn outside and grabbed her bag. Just as she was opening the door, she heard her mom call out, "Bye, sweetie! Have fun!"

Kirsten smiled and said, "Thanks! Bye!"

She made her way out to Jimmy's car in her driveway and saw that Kelly and Matt were already in it. She opened the trunk, threw her bag in, and then hopped in the car.

As Jimmy drove away from the house, he asked her, "So, Kirst…do your parents know that we are going to TJ?"

"Please, if they actually knew I wouldn't be sitting in this car right now…I told them we were going to San Diego…which we are…we'll just be driving through it instead of actually staying there…" Kirsten reasoned.

Kelly laughed and said, "Leave it to you to come up with a logical lie." Then she rolled down the window and screamed, "Tijuana, here we come!" and it was followed by yelling from the other three from inside the car.

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AUGUST 15, 1980

TIJUANA, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO

Kirsten opened the door to the hotel room that she was staying in with Jimmy, threw her bag to the side and flopped down on the bed. The car ride down to TJ really hadn't been that bad…fun actually…but Kirsten was a little tired for some reason. _I guess car rides can take it out of you,_ she thought.

"Kirsten!" Kelly yelled as she burst into the room and pulled Kirsten off the bed. "Come on…were going exploring around the city…finding the best bars, clubs, food…let's go!" And before Kirsten could say anything, she managed to grab her purse before Kelly pulled her out the door.

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The four friends returned hours later after exploring the main areas of Tijuana. They ran into some of their friends from school and they told them that everyone was going to be at a club called 'Boom Boom' later that night. After telling their friends that they would definitely be there later to join up with them, the two couples had dinner at a Mexican restaurant, obviously serving the authentic food. Kelly raved about how it was so much better than the Mexican food at home…that real Mexico had the real food. But Kirsten was also quick to point out that Tijuana could hardly be considered 'real' Mexico, as many of the people there had just hopped the border from the US to Mexico for some partying.

Kirsten laid down on the hotel bed after they returned. The Pepsi that she had at dinner had reenergized her…but she was still a little tired. _Wake up, Kirsten!_ she thought to herself. _You have to stay up all night!_

"Hey beautiful," Jimmy said as he came out of the bathroom and gave her a kiss.

"Hi handsome," Kirsten replied and kissed him again. They started kissing each other more fiercely, and Jimmy made his way onto the bed. His hands made their way to the base of her shirt and he started tugging it upwards.

"Jimmy, we have to go out soon…remember…" Kirsten said between kisses.

"Do you want to stop?" he asked as he traced little circles on her stomach and kissed her neck.

She started into space for a moment…but it was too hard to think while he was touching her. "No," she replied. "Definitely not…"

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"Wow. That was amazing. You are amazing," Jimmy said as rolled off of her and then gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Not so bad yourself," Kirsten said smiling and kissed him. "Jimmy…what time is it?"

"Um…9:30…I think," he answered.

"Yeah, we should probably get ready to go out," Kirsten told him and she got herself out of bed and into the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later, they were both ready to leave…Kirsten was dressed in a denim skirt, white halter top, and platform sandals…Jimmy was wearing jeans and a black shirt. Just as the pair was about to depart, Kirsten remembered something.

"Ugh…I should call my parents before I leave…I promised them I would check in," Kirsten said. She grabbed the phone sitting on the night stand and dialed a familiar number.

"Hi Mom! Mom…what's wrong…you sound like…what!" Kirsten said as she spoke into the phone. As she clutched the phone in her hand tightly, tears started streaming down her face as she listened to her mom. "Yeah, Mom…I'm coming home tonight…no, I am, okay…I love you…bye."

Kirsten sat still on her bed, still clutching the phone, and was now freely sobbing.

"Kirst! What happened! What's wrong?" Jimmy asked her as he rushed over and engulfed hug. 

"Um…my grandma died!" Kirsten sobbed into his chest.

"Oh, sweetie…I'm sorry," Jimmy said as he continued to hold her in a hug and let her sob.

Finally after a few minutes, Kirsten lifted up her head and asked, "Jimmy…um, you don't have to do this…but I was wondering if you could take me home now…bad timing, I know…but if you don't want to-"

"Kirst…I'll take you home right now…don't you worry…I'll tell Kelly and Matt to hitch a ride with other people, okay…I'll get you home, sweetie," Jimmy reassured her. He kissed her on the top of the head and continued to hold her.

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Hailey heard her mom talking on the phone…it sounded like she was telling Kirsten the news. Hailey's eyes were red and puffy and her vision slightly blurred from the tears she had been crying. When she heard her mom say 'bye,' and hang up the phone, she poked her head around the corner and was about to enter when she saw her mom pull a large glass bottle full of a clear liquid from the freezer. She watched as her mom poured the liquid into a glass with some ice in it. When her mom set the bottle down…Hailey read the label…Absolut…she thought that's what it said…underneath it she thought she saw the word 'vodka.' Even young Hailey knew that vodka was the thing her mom drank when she was feeling sad…

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AUGUST 22, 1980

BOSTON, MA

Kirsten sat with her family in the airport sighing to herself after she heard the announcement that their flight back to Orange County had been delayed an hour. She pulled a book out of her bag to try to get her mind off the recent events. After taking the initial news of her grandmother's death somewhat hard, Kirsten felt that the visit for the funeral had given her closure. Although she wished that she would have been able to spend more time with her grandmother than she had, she had come to terms with her death and was thankful for the time that she had been able to spend with her.

Kirsten was more worried about her mother. She glanced over to where her mother sat. Her face was expressionless, not full of life as it had been for most of Kirsten's life. She looked completely lost as she stared blankly into space. When Kirsten first heard the news of her grandmother's death, she knew that her mom would take the news really hard…and she suspected that it wouldn't really help her drinking. But Kirsten was not prepared for how lifeless her mother had been over the past week. She prayed that her mother would improve, and return to be the smart, fun, and charitable woman she was, but she knew that her mom had started drinking again and it seemed too much to hope for.

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_In the season one episode, 'The Escape,' they mention a club in TJ called, 'Boom Boom,' so I used it here. I have no idea if it actually exists or if it existed in 1980, but I do not own it._


	21. Chapter 20: The Mishap

**Chapter 20: The Mishap**

SEPTEMBER 21, 1980

NEWPORT BEACH, CA

It had been two days, but things didn't feel any better to Kirsten. She was lying on her large bed, curled up in the corner, snuggling against her pillows, while tears were falling down her face from her sapphire eyes. She didn't think it would be this hard. How could she have known? But despite these feelings, she still felt that she had made the right decision.

_It was the right decision,_ she thought. Who was she kidding…there was no option in this situation…well, there were options, but none of them seemed viable in this instance, except one…therefore there was really no decision. But this logic somehow didn't make it any easier. She thought back to a week ago when this whole thing started…

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SEPTEMBER 14, 1980

NEWPORT BEACH, CA

Kirsten awoke with a start. Her stomach was doing flip-flops and she knew in an instant that anything that was currently in it was going to make its way up her esophagus. She jumped out of bed and rushed into the bathroom, burying her head in the toilet.

After her body had finished emptying her stomach of last night's dinner, Kirsten sighed. It was the third morning in the last four days that she had thrown up the moment she woke up. The first time this happened, she contributed it to food poisoning…maybe some bad meat or something. But after the third time, she was beginning to doubt that theory.

_Flu, maybe, _she thought, but she knew that it probably wasn't that. After all, she felt fine the rest of the day…no fever and no more vomiting.

Kirsten sat on the floor with her back against the bathroom cabinet and really started to think about what this mysterious illness could be. Then suddenly, it hit her like a ton of bricks.

_No! _she thought. _It couldn't be…I can't be, could I?_ As she started thinking about it, with a million thoughts rushing through her head at once, she realized something else. _I'm late. Like by over a week. Oh, my God! I'm never that late. _

Kirsten buried her head into her lap. _This can't be happening. I thought we were careful. I'm seventeen…this is not suppose to happen. I'm not supposed to be…be…shit, I can't even say it. Hell, I can't even think it. _

"Pregnant," she finally whispered out loud.

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Kirsten started crying a little harder as she pictured the image of her sitting alone on her bathroom floor when she first realized she was pregnant. She was so scared, and yet she couldn't tell anyone. How did one tell anyone something like this? But this was nothing compared her visit to the clinic she had gone to only two days ago…

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SEPTEMBER 19, 1980

RIVERSIDE, CA

Kirsten was sitting in the waiting room of a medical clinic in Riverside doing just what the title of the room was- waiting. It was a Friday afternoon and she had driven here as soon as school let out for the day. She knew that her parents would be gone this afternoon, with her father at work and her mother taking Hailey to dance class and then to gymnastics class, so they wouldn't miss her. She had come to the conclusion that she had to go somewhere far away…she couldn't risk someone she knew finding out about this.

The day after she had come to the realization that she might be pregnant, she went to a drug store in the next city over to buy a home pregnancy test. She made sure that no one was home when she performed the test. And upon viewing the results, her fears were now a reality. The stick turned pink. She was pregnant.

She had already filled out all the medical forms…with the name of Nicole Christian…the same name that was on her fake driver's license that she usually used for purposes of buying alcohol. _I guess it came in handy in more ways than one,_ she thought bitterly. She knew that if a girl was under 18 years old, she needed parental consent to get the abortion. But getting parental consent was out of the question. Her parents could never find out. If her dad knew, he would probably kick her out of the house right now…if her mom knew, she'd probably drink even more. And for that matter no one else could find out…not Kelly, and certainly not Jimmy. Kirsten knew he would freak if he found out…it was better this way. And this was the other plus of using a fake name- Kirsten didn't want there to be any record of her doing what she was about to do.

"Nicole Christian," the nurse called out.

However, Kirsten didn't hear her. Partially because she was so wrapped up in her thoughts, and partially because the fake name didn't grab her attention.

The nurse approached Kirsten and said, "Nicole, right? You're next."

Kirsten snapped out of her daze, and said, "Oh, right…sorry."

"It's all right. Right this way," the nurse said and started walking toward the exam room. Kirsten followed closely behind. The nurse took Kirsten's vitals, then gave her a gown to change into and left her in the room alone. Kirsten changed into it and then sat uncomfortably on the exam table. She peered around at her surroundings. The room was blank. Very white and sterile looking. Almost cold. She involuntarily shivered at the thought.

When the doctor entered the room, he greeted Kirsten, but all she could do was nod. He began the procedure and then when she heard the low hum of the vacuum that was taking the fetus from inside her, she almost broke down. But she bit her lip and refused to cry there…in that clinic…in front of that doctor. _It was the right thing to do,_ she kept telling herself.

The procedure was short…it almost surprised Kirsten…less than ten minutes. When the doctor was finished, he left her alone to change. Before Kirsten left the clinic, she paid at the front in cash. She had lied and said she didn't have insurance. After all, if she claimed this on insurance, her father would find out for sure.

As soon as Kirsten left the building, the tears that she had been holding in for so long began to fall. She sat in her convertible for ten minutes, trying desperately to compose herself so she could drive home. Finally, her sobs subsided and only occasionally were a few tears dripping down. She put on her sunglasses to hide her red and puffy eyes and at least some of her tears, and she turned on her car and drove away, hoping never to return there again.

As soon as Kirsten was leaving the clinic in Riverside, a young red headed girl ventured into the front yard of her house in a nearby neighborhood. Her friend from across the street was coming over any minute to join her, and the two of them were walking to the ice cream shop two blocks away. The young girl heard the sound of a car in the distance, and she looked up and saw a brand-new, bright red Beetle convertible being driven by a gorgeous blonde girl wearing the latest style of sunglasses. As the car past her, the young girl continued to watch the girl in the car, even as it moved further and further away…until it got to the point that she could she could no longer see the bright red paint.

_Wow, _the girl thought. _I wish I could be rich like that girl. I bet her life is just great. Perfect even. _Little did the girl know where this blonde girl had just come from.

"Hello, earth to Julie!" called another girl. Julie snapped back to reality as soon as she heard the voice. "Ready for ice cream?"

"Um, yeah," Julie said. "Come on, let's go."

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Kirsten muffled her intense sobbing with a pillow. Eventually it subsided and she moved herself to her window seat, staring off into the view of her street with her red, puffy eyes. She glanced over at the phone that was ringing in her room. Her own private phone line. However, she made no move to get up and get it. She knew who it was and she didn't want to talk to him right now. She knew it wasn't his fault. After all, it took two to tango. But she just couldn't face him. She knew if she saw him right now, she would have to put on a big, happy front, despite the fact that she was suffering inside, and at the moment she didn't feel up to it. She would have to do that tomorrow for school, and she felt content to let her emotions out for now.

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_In the Season 1 Season Finale ("The Tie that Binds"), Kirsten has lunch with Theresa after she visits the doctor about having an abortion. Kirsten tells her that she doesn't have to make the decision that makes the most sense. Then Theresa says that nothing like this would ever happen to someone like Kirsten. Then Kirsten gives her a look like "Yes, I do know," and then says that she doesn't regret the decision she made, but that she wished she could have had someone there for her when she was trying to choose. Then later, Sandy accuses her of talking Theresa out of the abortion. He then says something like, ' do you have any idea what Ryan is going through.' And then Kirsten replies, 'Not as well as I know what she's going through.' Sandy asks her what that means (obviously had no idea) and Kirsten covers and says Theresa is scared._

_From these scenes, it alluded to Kirsten having an abortion. I am assuming it was when she was younger and when she was with Jimmy, but no one knows about it. Maybe it wasn't with Jimmy…that was just a guess on my part. I'm really curious if the show is going to revisit this topic._


	22. Chapter 21: The Main Event

**Chapter 21: The Main Event**

OCTOBER 17, 1980

NEWPORT BEACH, CA

Kirsten stood off to the side of the football field and watched as the gorgeous floats made by each of the classes at Harbor High were paraded around the field and then lined up behind the podium. After the floats went around, the five Harbor High Homecoming princesses were drove in five separate vintage convertibles. She spotted Kelly in the first car; she looked gorgeous in her deep blue strapless dress. Kirsten was so excited that her best friend was one of the princesses. When Kelly got out of the car, she flashed a smile at Kirsten before her father walked her to the podium. Meanwhile, the student body vice president was talking about each of the Homecoming princesses and princes as they were escorted to the stage. Kirsten knew it was her turn when the speaker said, "And now I would like to introduce the Student Body President of Harbor High School, Kirsten Nichol."

She heard applause as she approached the stage and smiled warmly into the crowd. "Thank you so much. First, I would like to thank the Associated Student Body of Harbor High School, the class councils of each grade, and all of our advisors, without whom the Harbor Homecoming Spirit Floats Week would not be possible. Now, onto the part most of you have been waiting for…the presentation of awards. For the past few months, each of the class councils has put in timeless hours creating a float for the theme of 'Cities of the World.' And the results are now in. In fourth place, is the Sophomore class with Rome. In third place, is the Freshman class with Beijing. In second place, is the Junior class with Sydney. And in first place, is the Senior class with New York."

Kirsten paused for a second as she heard screaming erupting around the stadium…mostly seniors she assumed…that were ecstatic because of their victory. When it began to quiet down again, she continued, "And now I have the privilege to present the king and queen. This year's Harbor Homecoming King and Queen are…Matt Dominic and Kelly Connor!" Again the crowd erupted with cheers as the two were crowned and pictures of them were taken.

Kirsten finished off by saying, "Congratulations to both of them. On behalf of Harbor High, we hope you all will be joining us at the Homecoming dance tomorrow at The Balboa Bay Club and Resort. But first, let's beat Pacific! Go Pirates!"

The cheering intensified as she left the stage, and the football team ran out to signal that the second half of the game would begin shortly. Kirsten made her way over to Matt and Kelly, and said, "Congrats you two!" She embraced one and then the other.

"Thanks. Great speech, Kirst," Kelly told her. She then turned to Matt and said, "Yo, you better get back out there…and you all better shape up…we can't lose our own homecoming game."

"Don't worry…I got it covered," Matt told her, kissed her, and sprinted away.

"He better have it covered," Kelly said and Kirsten chuckled.

"Now back to cheerleading, I guess," Kirsten said.

"Well, at least we can attempt to cheer them to victory...let's go Kirst," Kelly said and the two went back to their spots…

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Kirsten sat in the corner of the large room where most of the people were dancing, sipping water from a bottle. She had been dragged to the annual post-Homecoming game party, even though she didn't really want to be there. Exhaustion from the past week of preparing for Homecoming wasn't the only reason, either. She was still somewhat at odds with herself over what she had done a month ago…the abortion...it was still plaguing her thoughts, and when she saw Jimmy, which was often, it kept it fresh in her mind, which didn't help matters…but he didn't know about it…he couldn't…

"Kirsten!" Jimmy called out when he spotted her in her corner. Kirsten could tell that he was already drunk. He walked over to her, holding two beers in his hand, and asked "What's up with you? Why are you just sitting here? Here, have a beer."

"No, thanks…I'm just going to drink some water…I guess I'm just exhausted," Kirsten said and took another sip of the water.

"Which is why you need a beer...and to get up and start dancing…I know, you're tired, but come on Kirst…just a few more hours…do you not want beer, I can get you something else," Jimmy rambled on.

"I'm fine Jimmy…you know what, I think I'm just going to go home," Kirsten said and got up from her seat.

"Are you okay? Kirsten, you never go home early from a party…ever," Jimmy said.

"Yeah, well there's a first time for everything," she said in a somewhat sarcastic tone. "Move out of my way, Jimmy…I'm going home."

"Something's wrong, Kirsten…I know you…just talk to me," Jimmy said, not moving out of the way.

"I am fine, Jimmy! Just stop bugging me, okay! Look, I'll see you tomorrow," Kirsten said and pushed Jimmy out of the way. She was suddenly feeling very closed-in by the crowds of people in the house and was relieved when she finally made her way out of the house.

After walking two blocks away from the house, Kirsten found herself at the beach. It was completely deserted, silent, and the night sky was crystal clear. She walked out onto the sand and sat herself down in a random spot. She stared at the waves crashing ahead in the ocean and after a minute, opened her purse and pulled out a flask. After staring at it for a second, she almost put it back in her bag. After all, drinking alone was never a good thing…especially when it was straight vodka. But instead, she took a long sip from the flask.

After a moment, she took another, but then screwed on the cap and set it in the sand. _What am I doing?_ she thought. _Am I trying to turn into my mom…drinking alone…drinking too much?_ But in the moment, it didn't seem to matter. She took a few more shots from the flask before replacing it in her purse. Even though she knew she wasn't drunk, as she stood up, dizziness passed over her from drinking the vodka too fast. She managed to steady herself and started walking toward home…

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OCTOBER 18, 1980

NEWPORT BEACH, CA

Kirsten's arms were wrapped around Jimmy as they slow danced at the Homecoming dance. She looked up to him, smiled, and kissed him on the cheek. But when her stare left his face and went to the space behind Jimmy, the smile faded. Her mind was still preoccupied with the abortion incident, as it had been for the past month, and she couldn't shake it. Being this close to Jimmy made her feel almost guilty for not telling him about it…and she felt bad for acting so weird around him for a reason that he didn't even know about…all she wanted was for the feeling to fade.

"Hey, Kirst," Jimmy whispered in her ear, breaking her train of thought.

She looked up at him and said, "Yeah?"

"Do you want to go get some fresh air…take a quick walk outside or something?"

Kirsten inwardly sighed, knowing that he was probably going to confront her about her weird behavior, but she couldn't think of any legitimate reason not to, so she answered, "Sure."

Jimmy took her hand and led her off the dance floor and through the doors, outside.

"So, Kirst…I know I asked you this yesterday night, but are you really okay? You've seemed a little off lately," he told her.

"Yeah, really, I'm fine," Kirsten lied, but smiled genuinely. "I promise, Jimmy…it was just a stressful couple of weeks with Homecoming preparations, that's all." She leaned up and kissed him to try to make her act look more believable.

"Okay…but you can always talk to me if you need to, okay?" Jimmy reassured her.

_Not about this, I can't,_ she thought. But instead she answered, "Yeah, I know. Thanks."

Jimmy put his arm around her and pulled her closer so that he could lay a kiss on the top of her head.

"Now, there's one more thing I want to ask you…and I now it's going to seem a bit out of the blue," Jimmy said as he turned and face her. "Kirsten Nichol, I love you! Will you marry me?"

Kirsten's face turned from one of happiness to one of surprise and complete shock. _Shit…did he somehow find out I was pregnant and not about the abortion…and he's trying to do the right thing…no, he couldn't know about it…nobody knows...what the hell is he thinking! _"Jimmy, are you joking…I mean, you aren't serious, are you?"

"Why not, Kirsten? I mean, is it that crazy! We both love each other…and it's not like we have to get married right away or anything. We can wait," Jimmy told her.

"Jimmy, my God, we are seventeen years old! We can't get married! What are you even thinking!" Kirsten exploded and started to walk away from him.

Jimmy grabbed her arm and said, "I thought you would want this!"

"Want this! When did I ever say I wanted to get married right this second! Never! Do you even listen? Let go of me, Jimmy! I'm going home…this evening is already ruined!" Kirsten yelled.

"Let me at least drive you," Jimmy said.

"Don't bother. I'll take a cab," Kirsten said as she pulled away from his grasp and stormed toward the exit.

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Kirsten paid the cab driver and as she got out of the car, she noticed that her house looked deserted.

"Hello!" she yelled as she opened the door. Only silence answered her. The she remembered that her parents were at some party at the Cooper's house. _Figures_, she thought. _And therefore Hailey is probably sleeping over at someone's house._

Kirsten felt so alone in the large empty house, but where else could she go? Her best friend was having fun at the dance and her boyfriend was the reason she left. She sighed as she made her way to the kitchen. Upon opening the freezer, two things caught her eye…a bottle of vodka and a tub of chocolate-chip cookie dough ice cream. She chose the ice cream…

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_I do not own the Balboa Bay Club, located in Newport Beach._

_I know in the episode, "The Girlfriend," from season one, Jimmy said that Caleb tried to get him to propose to Kirsten when they were seventeen…I just made it so he actually did propose._

_I hope that I'm not leading the readers to believe that Kirsten was a teenage alcoholic. I just wanted to show that she partied a lot as a teenager, and also that her habit of drinking too much when things are going badly in her life (on the show) is rooted in her teenage years. I never meant to portray her here drinking as much as she does at the end of season two._


	23. Chapter 22: The Revelation

**Chapter 22: The Revelation **

OCTOBER 31, 1980

NEWPORT BEACH, CA

Kirsten breezed through the front door after concluding her day at school. It seemed like for the first time in over a month that she felt happy…the first time since the abortion, even though she knew that situation was still bothering her. It seemed like things had been going well at school for the past week and today was the perfect conclusion to that week. Not only was it a Friday, but it was Halloween and Kirsten was excited for a costume party that one of the guys on the football team was hosting. She was planning on dressing up as a hippie and she had the perfect costume.

"Mom!" Kirsten called out. She waited a few seconds for a response, but when she didn't get one, she called out again, "Mom! I'm home!"

Kirsten started walking through the house searching, "Mom! Hailey! Is anyone home?"

Kirsten finally walked into the family room and found her mother lying down on the couch, appearing to be asleep. She was dressed in sweats and her golden brown hair was strewn all about.

"Mom!" Kirsten said and shook Katherine lightly. Katherine only stirred slightly.

Kirsten looked over on the coffee table and spotted a glass with a few ice cubes and a small amount of clear liquid. Kirsten sniffed it. _Definitely vodka,_ she thought, sighing. Then Kirsten spotted a bottle of vodka under the coffee table that was empty. At this very instant, Kirsten's happiness was shattered. She knew that in the past year and a half, her mother had been drinking a lot on and off…and she knew that the death of her grandmother had hit her mother particularly hard, and she had been drinking a little more lately. But never once had she found her mother passed out in the middle of the afternoon in the family room.

The ring of the phone didn't wake Katherine either, and it drew Kirsten away from her passed out mother.

"Hello?" Kirsten said into the phone.

"Kiks…it's me…Hailey," Hailey replied.

"Hail…where are you?"

"Um, I'm still at school…in the office actually…Mommy didn't come get me," Hailey told her.

Kirsten glanced over at her mother and then thought up an excuse, "Oh, I think Mom might be sick. I came home and found her asleep. I'll come get you in a second okay."

"Okay…thanks Kirsten," Hailey said.

"I'll be there as soon as I can, okay. Bye!"

"Bye!"

Kirsten hung up the phone and stormed over to her mother. She was furious. _How could she have just left Hailey stranded at school! Apparently getting hammered in the middle of the day was more important, _she thought.

"Mom!" Kirsten yelled at her mother and started shaking her violently. "Wake up!"

Katherine opened her eyes very slowly in response and said, "Kiki, why are you yelling at me?"

Kirsten could tell she was still drunk, especially because her mother never called her Kiki…at least when she was sober.

"What the hell are you doing!" Kirsten continued to yell.

Katherine sat up slowly and became slightly more alert. But before she could answer, Kirsten continued, "Do you think it's smart…getting smashed in the middle of the day…when you should be picking up Hailey up from school…yeah, that's right, you forgot about Hailey…poor thing has been sitting there waiting for you, while you decide to pass out from drinking too much vodka."

"Kirsten-" her mother started, but Kirsten interrupted her before she could say anything else.

"Mom, I love you…but you need to get some help…this is not normal…look, I have to go get Hailey right now…so either you sober up really quick, which I don't think is really an option…or you go upstairs to your room and go back asleep…I don't want Hailey seeing you like this…and I don't think you do either!" Kirsten yelled and walked away before her mother could make any excuses.

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Kelly knocked on the door of the Nichol mansion for the third time, and was about to give up when the door opened slightly to reveal Hailey on the other side.

"Hi Hailey! Is Kirsten home?" Kelly greeted.

Hailey nodded, pointed towards the back of the house, and said, "In the backyard."

Kelly walked through the house and out the back door. She saw Kirsten sitting on a stool on the far side of the pool with an easel holding a small canvas in front of her. She appeared to be quite focused on painting the view of the sun setting behind the horizon of the ocean.

"That painting is amazing," Kelly told Kirsten, interrupting her painting for a second.

Kirsten turned her head around slowly and smiled slightly, "Hey Kelly. And thanks."

"So I was thinking, we could leave for the Halloween party around 9 if that's cool…and I can't wait to see your great hippie costume," Kelly told her.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but you won't be seeing the costume since I won't be going," Kirsten informed her and turned back to her painting.

Kelly's heart sank. Something had been off about Kirsten for the past month, but she still hadn't been able to get it out of her. She had been excited when Kirsten agreed to go to the Halloween party…hoping that the old Kirsten she knew and loved would return. But with this latest development, Kelly became worried about her friend once more and knew now was the time to drag it out of her.

"What's going on with you, Kirsten? You seem a bit off," Kelly began.

Kirsten stopped painting for a second, but didn't turn around when she answered with, "You mean when I found my mom passed out after getting totally wasted this afternoon…don't you think that you would be a bit off too?"

Kelly closed her eyes and cringed. "I'm so sorry, Kirst." But deep down, she knew that there was something else that had been bothering Kirsten the past month. And so she pursued, "But as sorry as I am, I know something else has been bothering you…you've been off for like the past month."

Kirsten sighed, but still didn't turn around to address her friend, "Maybe it was the fact that my boyfriend proposed to me even though we are only seventeen and obviously too young to get married…or my grandma dying, maybe that?"

Kelly knew that these things were probably contributing factors, but Kirsten had already talked to Kelly about all that…and Kelly's gut told her that something else was main cause. She was just using them as excuses. "Kirsten…what happened? I'm your best friend…I know you better than anyone, and I know those aren't the reasons why you have been so completely off for so long…please tell me. I'm really worried about you."

Kirsten stopped painting again and felt the paint brush involuntarily fall out of her fingers to the ground. She felt two tears started falling from each eye down her cheeks and then Kelly's arms wrapped around her from behind. Kelly then let go of her and Kirsten finally turned to face her.

A few more tears had started streaming down her face, but Kirsten was not sobbing. She couldn't let her emotions get out of control. Not again.

"I…I, um…" Kirsten attempted to start. "I was, um…I got pregnant." Kirsten looked at the surprised look on Kelly's face, but continued before she could say anything, "But I'm not pregnant anymore. I…I got rid of it." Kirsten still couldn't actually say what she had done…only insinuate. From the reaction of Kelly, though, she knew that her friend realized what she had done.

"Oh, sweetie!" Kelly said, pulling Kirsten into a hug. Kirsten started crying harder and gave way to the sobbing. After a few minutes of the best friends embracing in a hug, they parted.

"I'm so sorry, Kirst. You could have told me earlier," Kelly said, but Kirsten shook her head in response.

"You can't tell anyone, Kelly. I didn't want anyone to find out…not even you. But my parents can never find out. Jimmy can never find out. No one can," Kirsten told her.

"You didn't tell Jimmy?" Kelly asked to confirm if she had heard Kirsten's response correctly.

"No…he would have flipped…it's easier, him not knowing, not finding out," Kirsten said.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Kelly asked.

Kirsten shook her head again and said, "Thanks, but I think it's just something that I have to work out on my own…it's still bothering me…but I think it's gotten a lot better."

"Well, I'm here if you ever want to talk. And I promise…I won't tell anyone," Kelly told her.

"Thanks," Kirsten answered.

"You really should come out tonight…you know, get your mind off this whole thing…and off your mom and stuff," Kelly suggested.

"Except that Jimmy will be there…and every time I see him, it reminds me…" Kirsten trailed off.

"Well, it's a big party…we don't have to go anywhere near Jimmy if you don't want to…I just want you to have some fun…get out a bit…it seems like you haven't been out in like forever…tell you what, if it sucks, or you feel too uncomfortable, we can bail…come back here, eat a tub of ice cream and watch late night TV…sound good?"

Kirsten thought for a minute and said, "What the hell? I guess we can go. I did still want to wear my cool hippie costume." Deep down, though, Kirsten knew that she really didn't want to go…but if she didn't, she knew Kelly would get even more worried about her, and Kirsten didn't want that. _I guess I'll be getting really drunk this evening, _she thought. _That way I don't have to think about everything…_

Kelly smiled and said, "Great! How about I come back here around 9 and we can walk over to Scott's place together."

"Sounds good," Kirsten answered.

"Okay, I have to get back to the house…my mom wants me to help out with dinner…see you in a few then," Kelly said and pulled her into another hug. "And remember, if you want to talk…"

"Thanks, Kelly." Kirsten told her. When the hug ended, Kirsten said, "Bye," and with that, Kelly walked away.

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"Last card, and it's your turn, Kirsten," Karen told her.

Kirsten flipped over the last card on the table revealing a two of hearts.

"Two to you, Kirsten!" everyone yelled at once and Kirsten downed the last of her drink to finish the third game of kings. She blinked her eyes a couple of times as she started to feel extremely dizzy and slightly nauseous. _Probably wasn't a good idea to play this game with a very strong vodka and sprite,_ she thought. _Of course it could have been mixing too many types of liquor- vodka, rum, tequila, and that half shot of yager. Or maybe it was that jello shot that had made me gag as I ate it…what was I thinking… just normal jello always makes me feel like puking…_

"Um, I'm going to sit the next one out…I need some fresh air," Kirsten told the group and made her way slowly away from the table into the large backyard.

As she stumbled toward the back fence, she heard a few 'Are you alright, Kirsten?'-s directed to her to which she just nodded a yes. When she finally reached her destination, she gripped the fence with both hands to steady herself and took a deep breath of air. She didn't feel well at all and hoped that the fresh air would help in some way.

Just as she was about to inhale another large breath of air, she felt a tap on her shoulder and heard a familiar voice, "Hey, stranger."

Jimmy caught sight of Kirsten's pale face as she turned to face him and Kirsten let out a quiet, "Hi."

"Are you okay? You look a little sick," Jimmy asked.

"I'm fine. Go away, Jimmy. I don't want to talk to you," Kirsten said and turned away from him.

"Anyone can see that you're not fine. You're drunk and you look like you could puke. Let me take you home," Jimmy replied.

"No need. I'm walking home," Kirsten said without turning around.

"You can't walk home like this," Jimmy said.

"Just watch me," Kirsten said and started walking away from him.

Jimmy reached out and tried to grab her arm and help her as she stumbled. Kirsten jerked away from him and said, "Let go! I'm okay, Jimmy."

Jimmy obeyed her and didn't try to stop her as she staggered through the back gate to the street to try to find her way home alone.

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Kirsten stumbled out of her bathroom after she was finished puking. She had managed to get home just in time. She felt only slightly better and the nausea was still prevailing. Slowly, she started removing her hippie costume, but stopped when she saw a piece of paper sitting neatly on her desk. It looked like a letter. She picked it up and began reading…

_My Dearest Kirsten,_

_I know that you are mad at me. But, please…just hear me out. I am so incredibly sorry for my actions today. It was extremely inexcusable. You were right when you said that this is not normal…it is far from it. I could tell you that this has been the only incident, but then I would be lying…and I have a feeling that you would know that it is a lie too. I've tried my best to hide it, but you're old enough to see that it has been occurring on and off. I realize that I have a problem and I want to get help. I am going to start seeing a therapist…try to work out my problems...like you said, I need help. I don't want anything like this to happen again. I love you so much, Kirsten. You are such a smart, sweet, and beautiful girl, and you and your sister are so incredibly precious to me. And I want to thank you for helping me recognize that I need help. Sweet dreams._

_With All My Love,_

_Mom_

Kirsten shed a few tears of joy and prayed that this would be true…that her mother would finally put the drinking behind her.

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	24. Chapter 23: The Blue Christmas

_Thanks to all my reviewers for my story: OClover1, She Loves Shoes, don't think about it, Cohen-girl, Ansy Pansy aka Panz, KikiCohen, kandylover, carliechick, cheerleader2006, CynthiaB, Andy Panddy, BeAuTiFuL mAdDnEsS, and SandyKirsten. I am finally past 50 reviews! Now the next chapter:_

**Chapter 23: The Blue Christmas**

DECEMBER 19, 1980

NEWPORT BEACH, CA

"Finally! Christmas break!" Kelly exclaimed as she and Kirsten left school.

"And a fun filled break of filling out more college applications," Kirsten sighed.

"But you're done with the UC app…since it was already due. You still want to go to Berkeley, right?" Kelly asked.

"Yeah, but do you honestly think my dad would approve of me going there? He's making me apply to a bunch of private schools on the East Coast," Kirsten told her.

"You haven't told him that you want to go to Berkeley, have you?" Kelly proded.

"Well…not exactly…I guess I just figured I would worry about that if I get in," Kirsten admitted.

"Hello! You are going to get in, Kirsten. I mean, perfect GPA, president of Harbor, cheerleader, and a charity league member…how could you not!"

"Well, nothing's ever for sure…and I guess I'm just avoiding the subject with my dad…he will not be happy when he finds out."

"I thought Berkeley had a good business program…shouldn't that at least make him happy?" Kelly said.

"Well, yeah…but it is also a liberal, public school, which he won't like…and when he finds out that I don't want to study business…well, then the shit will really hit the fan," Kirsten told her.

"So you're not going to study business like your dad wants?" Kelly asked to which Kirsten gave a confirming, triumphant nod. "Good for you…do what you want…are you going to do art history…was that it?"

"Yeah…that's what I really want to do…my dad is going to say it's impractical…which, yes, it kind of is…but for once, I want to do what I want," Kirsten said.

"Are you planning on telling him anytime soon?" Kelly wondered.

"Well, I figure I have to convince him to let me go to Berkeley, as long as I get in, and then I can worry about not majoring in business," Kirsten informed her.

"Good job, Kirst. I'm happy for you," Kelly said

"Thanks. Hey, do you want to hang out tonight?" Kirsten asked her. _Please say you can,_ Kirsten thought. _I don't want to hang out with Jimmy if he asks me…and this way I would have legitimate plans._

"I would, but I can't…I have plans with Matt," Kelly said.

_Damn it!_ Kirsten screamed inside her head. But outwardly she stayed calm and said, "Oh, no problem. Have fun with Matt."

Kelly smiled and said, "Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow though," Kelly said, to which Kirsten gave a puzzled look. "Your parents' Christmas party, remember?"

Kirsten remembered and said, "Oh, yeah…forgot…yeah, see you then." The two girls got in their respective cars and drove home.

As soon as Kirsten walked in the door, she heard the ringing of the phone and then her mom's voice as she answered it. When she heard her mom say, 'Oh, I think she just came in,' Kirsten knew it was Jimmy.

"Kirsten…Jimmy's on the phone," Katherine said as she handed the phone to Kristen and walked into another room.

"Hi, Jimmy," Kirsten said into the phone.

"Hey, Kirst…I was wondering if you wanted to hang out tonight…get dinner or something," Jimmy asked her.

"Um, well, I'd love to…" Kirsten said as she closed her eyes, "but I promised my mom I would help with dinner and help her get some stuff ready for the Christmas party tomorrow." She cringed at herself for lying to him…she didn't want to avoid him, but she still felt like she needed space…even after 3 months.

"Oh, okay…then I guess I'll see you at the party tomorrow," Jimmy said in a disappointed voice.

"Yeah, definitely. I'm looking forward to it," Kirsten said, trying to sound optimistic…maybe even enough to convince herself.

"Okay, love you," Jimmy said.

"Love you too…bye," Kirsten said and hung up the phone. She sighed as walked back toward her room. She knew she was putting a strain on the relationship by acting this way…and she wanted more than anything not to...not to be hurting someone she loved. But she couldn't seem to break away from the way she felt.

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DECEMBER 20, 1980

NEWPORT BEACH, CA

Kirsten sat on the bed in the pool house, looking gorgeous in her long deep green dress and with her hair in perfect curls. She was trying to gather up her nerve to go out into the party to face the guests…one guest in particular that would probably be there by now…Jimmy. But as much as she tried, she couldn't stand up.

She felt herself stiffen as she heard a knock on the door, but herself say, "Come in." Upon seeing Kelly at the door, she relaxed and her best friend came and sat next to her.

"Found a new hiding spot this year, I see," Kelly observed.

"Yeah, not really ready to go face the Newpsies just yet," Kirsten told her.

"I know the feeling…" Kelly started. "Kirsten, are you still avoiding Jimmy?"

"Um, no…" Kirsten lied.

"Yeah, sure…that was real convincing, Kirst. I thought you were going to try to talk to him…about, you know…" Kelly trailed off.

"Yeah…I…I just can't bring myself to do it…he'd break up with me for sure…I can tell he's already pissed at me…and I don't blame him, either…I've been acting horrible to him," Kirsten sighed.

"You have to talk to him, Kirst," Kelly told her.

"I…I just can't…not about this…if it was about anything else, I would," Kirsten admitted. "I just wish I could start acting normal around him."

Kirsten flopped from her sitting position to lying down on the bed and closed her eyes for a second to gather her thoughts when the door opened.

"Hey, you two!" Jimmy's voice echoed through the pool house.

Kirsten sat up immediately, while Kelly said, "I'll let you two talk. See ya out there," and with that she left the pool house and shut the door.

"Hey, Jimmy," Kirsten said as she stood up and gave him a kiss. "So we should probably go out there," she said as she started heading for the door.

"Wait, Kirsten. I want to talk with you first," Jimmy said. Kirsten knew this was coming and there was no avoiding the conversation now. She walked back to where he was standing and they both sat down on the bed.

"Kirsten, I want to know what's been bothering you these past few months," Jimmy started.

"Jimmy, I've told you. I am fine," Kirsten lied. Her face was very convincing that she was actually telling the truth, but Jimmy knew better than this.

"Kirsten, you're lying. You've been avoiding me for months. What did I do? How can I make it better?" Jimmy prodded.

Kirsten looked down and shut her eyes for a moment, then she looked back up at him and said, "You didn't do anything. I promise. I don't know…I guess a lot of things are going on lately…college apps, student government…I guess I'm just stressed and tired."

Jimmy sighed, knowing that she wasn't telling him the truth. Sure, she might be stressed out from those things, but it wasn't enough to make her act like she was. Frustrated, he continued, "Stop lying, Kirsten!" He hadn't meant for it to come out as a yell, but after months of Kirsten avoiding him, his aggravation was finally coming out. "Why are you doing this to me! What is wrong!"

"What's wrong! Jimmy, you thought I wanted to marry you now…in high school! Who does that! Oh, that's right, you!" Kirsten yelled back, using his proposal as an excuse.

"You're still mad about that! I thought we talked about that! You said everything was fine with that now!" Jimmy shouted. "I'm sorry for wanting to spend the rest of my life with the girl I love!"

"Yes! I am still mad about that! Ever thought of waiting until maybe even college! What were you thinking!" Kirsten exclaimed.

"What I want to know is what you are thinking! All I want you to do is open up to me! Instead you go out and drink too much at parties!" Jimmy screamed, but almost regretted it as he said it.

Kirsten just glared at him for a second and then let her fury be known, "I drink too much! Everyone at our school drinks too much! You drink a ton! And I don't go around telling you that you need to cut back!"

"Not like you! Halloween ring a bell. And what about you spending almost the entire Thanksgiving weekend drunk!" Jimmy yelled.

"Everyone was drunk! So were you!"

"At least I don't pass out at parties! And do you recall the first day we met I found you passed out at your front door step after a party!"

Kirsten was furious. Her face was red and her throat was getting dry from yelling. "I think you should leave," she said in a somewhat calmer tone, although the bitterness in her tone was very detectable.

"You know what I think! I think this clearly isn't working. We need a break. I can't do this anymore," Jimmy stated and walked out of the pool house before Kirsten could say another word.

Kirsten lowered her head and closed her eyes. _Shit! What have I done, now! What did I let it get this out of hand. This is all my fault. _In the background, Kirsten's ears picked up the melody of the song _Blue Christmas._ She sighed as she thought, _Yep…definitely going to be a blue Christmas now…_

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_Sorry about all the angst…it will get resolved shortly. _


	25. Chapter 24: The New Year

**_Thanks to my latest reviewers: Nels6354, Ansy Pansy aka Panz, CynthiaB, and cheerleader2006. Hope everyone enjoys this chapter!_**

**Chapter 24: The New Year**

DECEMBER 31, 1980- JANUARY 1, 1981

NEWPORT BEACH, CA

Kirsten was laying on her bed thinking through her "crazy" plans for New Year's Eve. _Yes, very crazy, _she thought to herself. _Watching TV while eating pizza and ice cream and staying up to watch the ball drop with Dick Clark…oh, those are two words that should not be used in the same sentence._

She adjusted the pillow under her head and thought more about her very uneventful Christmas break. She hadn't seen or spoken to anybody, save Kelly, since school had gotten out…especially not Jimmy. As much as Kirsten wanted to just go over to his house right that minute and apologize for the way she treated him, she knew they both needed a little space from each other…and the comments that he made to her during their fight still stung a little.

The ring of the phone interrupted her thoughts and she groaned as she reached over to pick it up. "Hello? Oh, hi Kelly! No, I told you that I'm staying in…pizza, ice cream, TV…I just don't feel like going to the party…really? So, he's not coming…I don't know…you aren't going to stop bugging me, are you…fine, you win, I'll go…but I'm not guaranteeing that I'm going to stay very long…okay, see you then…bye!"

Kirsten hung the phone back on its cradle and sighed. She couldn't believe she was getting dragged to this New Year's party. _Well, at least Jimmy isn't going to be there. And hopefully if I just stay for a little bit it will get Kelly off my back. _

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Jimmy was sitting in front of the TV, watching nothing in particular in attempt to get his mind off his fight with Kirsten. Even though it occurred over a week ago, the fight continued to plague his thoughts.

He heard the phone ring in the distance, but made no move to go answer it. He figured someone else would get it, and this suspicion was confirmed when the ringing stopped after the second ring.

However, a moment later, Al entered the room with the phone. "It's for you, Jimmy," she told him.

Jimmy unenthusiastically grabbed the phone and started talking. "Hello? Oh, hey Matt…not too much, you? Nah, I don't think I'm going to the party…I don't really feel like it. I think I'm just going to stay in…oh…so she's not going…well, I guess I could stop by for a little bit…I promise I will…okay, see you there…bye."

After Jimmy finished his conversation, he looked up and saw that Al was still standing there. She grabbed the phone back from him and said, "So, I take it you and Kirsten still haven't talked."

"Go away, Al," Jimmy told her.

"Fine…but it's high time you guys figure things out…you are so miserable without her," she said as she left the room.

_How true that is,_ Jimmy thought.

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Jimmy had arrived at the New Year's party only fifteen minutes ago, and already found himself seated in a chair. He was trying to be excited about the party, but he really wasn't in the mood.

"Hi, Jimmy! I didn't know that you were here already," Kelly greeted.

"Hey, Kelly. Yeah, I got here about fifteen minutes ago," Jimmy told her.

"Come on! Get up off the chair!" Kelly exclaimed as she pulled him up. "Get a little excited at least…I mean it is a party after all!"

"Okay, okay…sorry I'm not in a better mood," Jimmy said.

"Well, I hope this doesn't put you in a worse mood," Kelly said as she pointed toward the door, where Kirsten was.

"You knew she was coming, didn't you!" Jimmy exclaimed.

"Maybe…but it was for good intentions," Kelly sighed.

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Kirsten opened the door and made her way into the house. The party was in full swing, as if they had already had been going for hours. She glanced around to find Kelly. She immediately spotted her directly in front of her along with someone else…_Shit. She knew he was coming…I should have known she would try something like this…_

"Kirsten, hi!" Kelly called.

Kirsten walked toward her and Jimmy and said, "Hi…Kelly…Jimmy."

"Um, I gotta go," Jimmy said and immediately walked away and made his way out the front door.

Kirsten turned toward Kelly and said, "You set this whole thing up, didn't you! I should have known."

"Kirst, I'm sorry. It was all for good intentions. I just want you two to work things out…I know I probably shouldn't have butted in. I'm sorry," Kelly apologized.

Kirsten let out a long breath of air and said, "It's okay…so how's the party going?"

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Kirsten found herself still at the party an hour later, but she was totally withdrawn from it. Instead she focused her attentions on the spectacular view of the ocean from the backyard…arguably even better than her own. Even though it was dark out as the sun had set long ago, the bright moon and the starlight allowed Kirsten to recognize the greatness of the view. She then looked back around at the people at the party. Lots of couples together…happy. And those that weren't were with friends…laughing…having fun. In that moment, Kirsten realized where she needed to be…and it wasn't at the party.

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"Hey, stranger," Kirsten called out to the seated figure in the distance. As she stepped off the boardwalk into the sand barefoot, she felt her feet sink into the cool sand.

The figure turned around at the sound of her voice, and Kirsten detected a slight smile, even though he didn't utter a word.

"Your sister thought you might be here," Kirsten continued. "Listen, Jimmy…I know that you're mad at me right now, but I was hoping we could talk."

"Sure, why not," Jimmy sighed.

Kirsten sat right next to him on the sand and the pair turned and faced each other. "Jimmy, I'm sorry. For everything. For the way I was treating you the past couple of months. For yelling at you at the Christmas party. For being a horrible person to you."

Jimmy took one of Kirsten's hands in his and said, "You're not a horrible person. Far from it. I'm the one that should be sorry. I should have never yelled at you…said those things to you…that you just went and drank at parties too much instead of talking to me. You've always been upfront to me about everything you were feeling before…and it was wrong of me to make those accusations. And, besides, I'm one to talk about the partying, right?"

Kirsten laughed slightly and said, "No, Jimmy. This was all my fault. You were just trying to help me and I was pushing you away. And I'm so sorry that I reacted the way I did about that proposal thing."

"I'm sorry about that…I never meant to upset you…all I wanted was to make you happy. I should have known that wasn't a good idea. It's just that your dad kept saying it was."

"My dad put you up to that! I should have known! I'm so sorry, Jimmy! Why didn't you tell me?" Kirsten exclaimed.

"I don't know…I guess I just wanted to leave him out of it," Jimmy offered.

"Well you have nothing to be sorry about. If I wasn't acting so selfish, this whole thing could have been avoided. Will you forgive me?" Kirsten asked.

A huge grin crossed Jimmy's face and he said, "Of course. Just promise me that you'll talk to me if you need to. I'm always here."

"I promise," Kirsten said.

"You know I love you, right?" Jimmy told her.

"You know I love you too?" Kirsten said just before their lips met in a long passionate kiss. "I know of an empty pool house in my backyard," Kirsten whispered to him after they broke from their kiss.

"Well, I'm a big fan of those," Jimmy said before kissing her again.

"You know what they say… the way you spend New Year's Eve is the same way you'll spend the rest of the year," Kirsten whispered in his ear before grabbing his arm and pulling him toward her house to start off 1981 right.

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_The quotes "the way you spend New Year's Eve is the same way you'll spend the rest of the year," and "staying up to watch the ball drop with Dick Clark…oh, those are two words that should not be used in the same sentence," are taken from the Season 1 episode of The O.C. called "The Countdown."_


	26. Chapter 25: The Box of Chocolates

**_Thank you to my reviewers of Chapter 24: cheerleader2006, KikiCohen, CynthiaB, and SandyKirsten, BeAuTiFuL mAdDnEsS, and FoxyWombat (who reviewed Ch. 11). A few responses to the reviews: cheerleader2006- you'll have to wait and find out…KikiCohen- right now, I'm about half way done with the story, so yes it is going to be long…and CynthiaB- I definitely love Kandy more than Kimmy, but I did this fic because I was curious about Kirsten and Jimmy's relationship when they were younger and Kandy will come eventually. Okay, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!_**

**Chapter 25: The Box of Chocolates**

MARCH 12, 1981

NEWPORT BEACH, CA

"Happy early birthday, Kiki!" Caleb told her as Kirsten blew out the candles on her birthday cake to celebrate her 18th birthday.

"Thanks, Dad. And thanks so much for dinner too. It was really nice." Kirsten said. She had been a little surprised when her dad suggested that the family go out to dinner to a great Italian restaurant called **Giorgio La Trattoria** on a Thursday night to celebrate her birthday. She guessed, though, that it was to make up for that fact that her parents would be missing her actual birthday, which was tomorrow. Her father was taking her mother on a trip to Italy for their 20th anniversary, which was the day after Kirsten's birthday.

"Of course. We had to celebrate you're eighteenth birthday, didn't we. And I felt bad that your mother and I would be missing it. So are you doing anything this weekend for your birthday?"

"Oh, Jimmy is taking me out tomorrow for dinner. Other than that, nothing," Kirsten replied.

"You aren't thinking of throwing some big party, are you? Because…" Caleb told her.

"Dad," Kirsten said, cutting him off. "Trust me, I wouldn't think of it. I promise."

Hailey caught the last part of the conversation between Kirsten and her dad, almost letting out a laugh and practically dropping the plate of cake. Luckily she recovered in time and nobody seemed to notice. _Boy, Kirsten is going to be in for a surprise tomorrow,_ Hailey thought.

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MARCH 13, 1981 (FRIDAY THE 13TH)

NEWPORT BEACH, CA

"Jimmy, thanks so much for dinner. The food at Fleming's is always really good," Kirsten told him.

"Well, you do deserve the best food on your birthday," Jimmy said as he kissed her. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you," Kirsten answered and kissed him again.

"Hey, what do you say, we head into your house…your parents are gone, right," Jimmy asked.

"Yeah, let's," Kirsten said and the two of them got out of the car.

As Jimmy opened the front door for Kirsten, she heard voices inside erupt in a loud 'surprise!' She looked around the foyer of her house to see it filled to capacity. _I guess the whole no party thing is going out the window, _she thought.

"Oh, my gosh, guys! Thank you!" she exclaimed.

"Were you surprised," Jimmy asked her.

Kirsten laughed and said, "Yes, completely. You did well not letting anything slip. Thanks." Then she leaned in a kissed him.

Kelly and Matt walked over to her. "Happy birthday, Kirst!" Kelly exclaimed as she hugged her friend. Then Matt said the same and gave her a hug.

"Thanks so much, guys. This really means a lot to me. It was so thoughtful," Kirsten thanked.

"Well, we knew your parents were going to be gone so we had to take advantage," Kelly explained.

"Which reminds me, we cannot let the house get trashed…if my parents find out…" she trailed off.

"Relax, Kirst…let's get you a drink. Look, obviously I can't guarantee anything, but I warned everyone before, okay. Time for you to have some fun!" Kelly told her.

Just then Hailey approached her sister and said, "Happy birthday Kiks!" and leaped into Kirsten for a hug.

"You knew about this, Hail?" Kirsten asked.

"We enlisted her to help us. She did great," Kelly explained.

"This isn't some plot to get me in trouble, is it?" Kirsten asked her suspiciously.

"No, I promise. Have fun Kiks…I'll probably just stay upstairs…but I might spy a little bit for some entertainment," Hailey said as she started up the stairs.

"Thanks Hails," Kirsten told her.

"You're welcome, Kirsten," Hailey smiled.

"Now, come on Kirst! Time to party!" Kelly exclaimed.

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"Ohhh, shiiit!" Kirsten exclaimed, slurring slightly. She walked around the bottom floor of her house, surveying the damage from the party after all her friends had departed. Kelly's warning to their friends apparently didn't work, as couches and tables were overturned, alcohol was spilled on the floor, plastic cups were everywhere, and lawn furniture was in the pool.

"Oh, man! You are going to be so dead, Kiks!" Kirsten heard Hailey call from behind her.

Kirsten spun around and stared at her sister, "You…you let them come here…and helped plan it!"

"Please, do you think I actually had a say in what was going to happen. And besides, do you think Mom and Dad would really believe I was involved in this?" Hailey stated.

Kirsten put her hand to her forehead. She could feel a headache coming on…partly from drinking too much and partly from the knowledge of the extent of cleanup she was going to have to deal with. She mumbled, "shit," as she staggered over to where Hailey was.

"Are you okay, Kiks? You're drunk, aren't you!" Hailey exclaimed.

Kirsten looked up at her sister and mentally kicked herself that Hailey was here to witness the happenings of her party. "How do you even know what that is? You're eight!"

"Well, it helps that I'm smart…and that I have a sister who's eighteen. What did you expect?" Hailey paused for a second and then continued, "Kiks, you never answered my question either."

Kirsten sighed, "Yes, Hailey, alright! I'm drunk okay!"

"Kirsten's drunk! Kirsten's drunk!" Hailey yelled out. "If mom and dad find that out, you really will be in trouble!"

"Hailey, shut up! If you even tell them, I swear you'll pay big time sis," Kirsten said.

"Relax Kiks…I won't tell…but it will cost you," Hailey told her.

"Cost me?" Kirsten asked.

"You have to clean my room for me for a month. Take it or leave it," Hailey said.

"Fine. I'll do it. But if you tell them, the deal's off," Kirsten agreed.

"Okay," Hailey said. Before she went back to her room, Hailey surveyed the damage around the house again and then continued, "Hey, I'll help you clean up down here…but it will cost you another month of cleaning my room."

"No way, Hails!" Kirsten exclaimed. But when she began to look around her again, she sighed and reconsidered. "Fine, okay…I could use the help a lot as you can see."

"Okay. Hey, where's Kelly? I thought she was going to stick around and help," Hailey said.

"She fell asleep in the guest room downstairs. She had more to drink than I did," Kirsten told her.

"Should I go wake her up?" Hailey asked.

"No…just let her sleep for now. I'm going to go get the cleaning stuff. And then the cleaning begins, okay?" Kirsten said.

"Okay," Hailey agreed.

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MARCH 15, 1981

NEWPORT BEACH, CA

"Kiki! Hailey! We're home!" Caleb yelled as he and Katherine made their into the house after their weekend in Italy.

"Hi Dad! Mom!" Kirsten called as she gave hugs to both of them, with Hailey following suit.

Kirsten was slightly nervous as her parents walked through the downstairs of the house. She and Hailey had cleaned for hours and had worked very hard to put everything back in place. She hoped that her parents wouldn't suspect anything.

"So how was the weekend? Every looks to be in order here," Caleb stated.

Kirsten let out a breath she had been holding. _So far so good,_ she thought. "Um, it was good. I went out with Jimmy on Friday for my birthday, but other than that, nothing too exciting."

"No parties or anything, right?" Caleb questioned.

"Nope," Kirsten said, as nonchalantly as possible.

Caleb turned to the younger of his daughters and said, "Your sister didn't try to pull anything, did she?"

Kirsten glanced at Hailey waiting for her answer, hoping she wouldn't tell. "No, Dad! We had a good weekend. Kirsten took me to the beach on Friday and Saturday. We had fun!" Hailey exclaimed.

"Good then. Glad to hear it. We're going to go unpack right now, but your mother wants to have dinner in half an hour, okay?" Caleb told them.

"Okay, Dad," Kirsten said, and their parents disappeared.

Kirsten looked back at Hailey, smiled, and said, "Thanks, Hailey."

"You're welcome…I told you I wouldn't tell," Hailey stated. "But I guess you never know what you're going to get with me."

"Yes you did," Kirsten said as she gave her a hug. "You're not always so bad to have around, sis."

"Neither are you," Hailey replied, as she hugged her back.

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**_Okay, so this was more sister bonding between Kirsten and Hailey, and not really much Kimmy. And it probably wasn't the most exciting chapter, so I apologize. Please review!_**

**_Giorgio La Trattoria is an actual restaurant on Balboa Island in Newport Beach. I've actually been there myself and it is really good. I do not own it._**

**_Fleming's is an actual restaurant in Newport Beach. I do not own it._**


	27. Chapter 26: The Acceptance

**_Thanks to my reviewers of Chapter 25: FoxyWombat, CynthiaB, SandyKirsten, BeAuTiFuL mAdDnEsS, She Loves Shoes. I love hearing what you guys think of the story. Okay, here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy!_**

**Chapter 26: The Acceptance**

APRIL 1, 1981

NEWPORT BEACH, CA

"Hey Kirst! Wait up!" Jimmy yelled to his blond girlfriend who was walking ahead of him.

She stopped when she heard his voice and turned around with a big smile on her face and met him with a kiss when he got close.

"Guess what today is!" Jimmy exclaimed.

"April Fool's Day. And no tricks, okay!" Kirsten told him.

"Well, yes it is…and I'm not guaranteeing no tricks…but that wasn't what I was talking about…today, our college acceptances come…and also rejections, but hopefully there won't be any of those."

"Oh my God! I can't believe I forgot about that…well, I mean I didn't really forget, but you know what I mean…" Kirsten trailed off.

"Yeah, so do you want to come over after the mail comes…open them up together," Jimmy asked.

"Um, yeah sure," Kirsten said somewhat flustered.

"What's wrong?" Jimmy asked her.

"Nothing," Kirsten said, covering.

"You're still worried about getting into Berkeley, aren't you?" Jimmy guessed.

"No, yes, it's just that I want to go there so much…and there are no guarantees," Kirsten admitted.

"Well, if anyone's a shoe in, it's you. Don't worry, okay? Remember I want to go there too," Jimmy said as he wrapped his arm around her.

"Okay. And don't you worry either. Um, I have to get to my last class now…I'll see you later then…after the mail comes," she said.

"After the mail. Bye!" Jimmy said and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

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Kirsten rang the doorbell at Jimmy's house, carrying her college mail in her hands. She had gotten quite a few large envelopes and some small ones too. Usually large envelopes were a good sign and smaller envelopes were not…but it all depended on the school.

Jimmy came to the door a moment later and practically screamed, "I didn't get into Berkeley, Kirst! Shit, what are we going to do!"

"Jimmy, calm down…I don't even know if I got in…remember I was waiting to open it until I got here…hey, wait a minute. You are playing an April Fool's joke on me, aren't you! Haha, very funny," Kirsten told him.

"No, I swear this is no joke. Look, read the letter," Jimmy said, holding it up in front of her.

" 'Dear Mr. James Cooper,'" Kirsten read from the letter. " 'After careful consideration of your application, we regret to inform you that you have been denied admission to the University of California at Berkeley…' oh jeez, Jimmy, I'm so sorry," she said and gave him a hug.

"Thanks, Kirst…I guess I just thought that we would be able to go to the same college…I don't know what I will do without you," Jimmy told her.

"Jimmy, I still don't know if I got in yet…you're jumping to conclusions," Kirsten reminded him.

Jimmy gave her a look and said, "Then open it up."

Kirsten took the envelope marked with Berkeley's return address on it. It was one of the smaller envelopes, so she was bit nervous when she went to open it. When she took out the letter, she hesitated for a second and then started reading out loud, " 'Dear Miss Kirsten Nichol. After careful consideration of your application, we are pleased to inform you that you have been admitted to the University of California at Berkeley for the Fall Semester of 1981. Your housing materials should be arriving in the mail shortly…'" Kirsten trailed off, stopping in the middle of the letter. She didn't know how to react. Inside she was jumping up and down. She got into her first choice school and she couldn't help, but crack a smile. But at the same time, she didn't want to make Jimmy feel even more badly than he already did.

"It's okay, Kirst. You can be excited. I'm really happy for you," Jimmy said as he hugged her and gave her a kiss.

Kirsten looked up at him and her small smile grew into a larger one. She broke away from his embrace and yelled, "Yes!" as she threw her arms up and danced around the room. After a minute, she calmed herself down and said, "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to get that excited. It's just…"

"Hey, no need to explain. You're entitled to happiness. I mean, you've been talking about going to Berkeley for like two years, and you did it. You got in! Besides, I knew you had a better shot than I did…I mean, your grades and test scores are higher than mine…" Jimmy trailed off.

"Still, I was hoping we would both get in," Kirsten sighed.

"Well, why don't we open the rest of our envelopes…see what other schools I get rejected from and you get accepted to," Jimmy suggested.

"Stop being so pessimistic. I'm sure you got into some good schools," Kirsten insisted.

"Okay fine," Jimmy said, opening a new envelope.

After opening all of the college mail, Kirsten found out that she had also been accepted to UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, USC, University of Pennsylvania, Boston College, and Harvard, in addition to Berkeley. She was rejected at Georgetown, Columbia, and Princeton. Jimmy was accepted at UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, USC, NYU, and Boston College. He was rejected from University of Pennsylvania, Harvard, and Princeton.

"What are we going to do?" Kirsten sighed.

"You are going to go to Berkeley like you want to. And I…well, I need to figure out where I want to go," Jimmy said.

"But, Jimmy…I…" Kirsten tried to find the words, but couldn't.

"Kirsten, as much as I want to go to college with you, I'm not going to stop you from going to the school that you want to go to. I'll just have to deal with it. I want you to be happy," Jimmy told her.

"Well, you might not be the one that stops me…my dad is not going to like the idea of me going to Berkeley," Kirsten said.

"Why don't you go home…tell your parents where you got in…and try to talk to your dad about Berkeley," Jimmy suggested.

"You can't talk to my dad…but I guess I'll have to try. I'll call you later then," Kirsten said, getting up from the couch.

"Bye, Kirst," Jimmy said and gave her a kiss.

"Bye," she replied and walked out the door.

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Kirsten was sitting at the dinner table, waiting for the meal to begin. As soon as her mother brought in the food, her father sat down and started in on her. "So, Kiki. Your mother tells me that you got your college acceptance letters today."

"Yeah, Dad. I got into UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, Penn, USC, Harvard, Boston College, and Berkeley."

"What…no Georgetown, Columbia, or Princeton! Oh, it doesn't matter anyway. Now the way I see it, it's really a choice between Penn, USC, and Harvard. After all, those are the schools with the best business programs," Caleb said.

"What about Berkeley, Dad? That has a really good business program too," Kirsten told him.

"Berkeley! That liberal hotbed! I thought that I told you that I don't want you going there. It's a public school…you'll slip through the cracks. And I don't care if it does have a good business program. You need to be at a conservative, private school," Caleb informed.

Kirsten could feel the anger inside her building with every word her father spoke and finally let it out, "No, Dad! I want to go to Berkeley! I have made it clear for two years that I wanted to go there! I just applied to those other schools to make you happy! And another thing, I don't want to major in business! I want to major in art history! I'm sick of you grooming me to take over your company! Controlling me! I'm going to Berkeley!" After she was through, Kirsten stormed out of the room, practically running up to her room, hearing her father call after her. She didn't stop, though, until she was in her room.

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It was two hours after her blowout with her father, and Kirsten still hadn't left the room. She walked over to her phone that had started ringing. She picked it up and said, "Hello?"

"Hey, Kirst! It's Kelly."

"Oh, hey Kell. How's it going?"

"Pretty good! Actually, very good! I got into UCLA!" Kelly yelled into the phone.

"That's great!" Kirsten told her. "I'm really happy for you!"

"Yeah, get to carry on the Connor family tradition. So what about you? Did you get into Berkeley?"

"Yeah I did," Kirsten said, trying to sound excited.

"What's the matter? I thought you wanted to go there?"

"Yeah, well my dad doesn't want me to go there. I just had a huge argument with him."

"I'm sorry Kirst."

"I just don't know what to do…plus Jimmy didn't get into Berkeley, so…" Kirsten trailed off.

"Kirst, first of all, and this is going to sound kind of bad, but you shouldn't think of Jimmy. You need to pick a school because you want to go there…not because Jimmy wants you to…otherwise, you might regret it later," Kelly advised.

"Yeah, I know," Kirsten answered.

"As for your dad, you should try to talk to him again after things cool off. You might be surprised…I mean, he loves you, so maybe he'll reconsider. Plus I have a feeling your mom will have a different take on this whole thing."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Kirsten said.

"Okay, I have to go, but I'll see you tomorrow," Kelly said.

"Bye, Kell!"

"Bye, Kirst!" and Kirsten hung up the phone after Kelly's final words.

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Katherine approached Caleb's office and peered in. His head was buried in his hands, as if he was stressed out. She softly knocked on the door as she entered. When Caleb looked up, Katherine said, "Still thinking about that argument with Kirsten?"

"Kate, I don't think we've ever had a worse argument," he sighed.

"You'll work it out…I know how much you can't stand a fight with Kirsten," she told him.

"I just don't know how this one will get worked out," Caleb said.

"How about by letting her go to Berkeley? Letting her do something to make her happy," Katherine told him.

"I can't believe you would allow that," Caleb said.

"What I want is for my daughter to be happy," she stated.

"I just don't want her getting any radical ideas…and I don't want something to happen to her up there. The city is filled with bums," Caleb informed.

"Cal, USC and Penn are in worse neighborhoods than Berkeley is," Katherine said, poking a hole in his theory.

"Well, at least they are private schools. I just want what's best for Kirsten," Caleb stated.

"I think the best thing is to let her choose where she wants to go. Let her be happy," Katherine started. "Just promise me that you will give serious consideration to let her go to Berkeley."

"Alright, I will. I do want her to be happy too," Caleb concluded.

"Thank you, honey," Katherine smiled and gave him a kiss.

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_I do not own the following universities: UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, Boston College, Georgetown, Princeton, Columbia, New Your University, USC._

_Okay, I know that all college acceptance letters don't arrive on the same day, but they all arrive by April 1st, so I thought it would be easier if they all came at once._

_The quote, "slip through the cracks," is from the season one episode, "The Girlfriend," when Caleb says that he wants to get more involved in the company again because "things are slipping through the cracks."_

_Sorry…not too much Kirsten/Jimmy action…I'll get back to that soon._


	28. Chapter 27: The Decision

**_Thanks to all my reviewers of Chapter 26: FoxyWombat, Ansy Pansy aka Panz, CynthiaB, and She Loves Shoes. Here's the next chapter!_**

**Chapter 27: The Decision**

APRIL 29, 1981

NEWPORT BEACH, CA

"So have you decided where you are going, Kirst?" Kelly asked. "I mean because housing is kind of due in a few days."

"My dad is supposed to tell me today, whether or not he's going to let me go to Berkeley," Kirsten said.

"And if he doesn't let you, what are you going to do?" Kelly persisted.

"Honestly…I really don't know…I'm just hoping he'll let me go to Berkeley so I don't have to decide. I have the information filled out for USC and Harvard. But I don't know which one to choose."

"I thought you didn't want to go to SC," Kelly wondered.

"I don't really…it's just the place that everyone would expect me to go. You know how it's a USC stronghold down here. The only reason why I'm considering it is because Jimmy's going there. But I know I would rather go to Harvard," Kirsten sighed.

"Kirst, what did I tell you before. You can't make your decision based on Jimmy. You need to go where you want to," Kelly told her.

"Except I might not be able to go to the place I really want," Kirsten reminded. "So have you sent in your housing stuff."

"Yep. I'm going to be a Bruin this fall. I'm so excited," Kelly said.

"I'm happy for you, Kell," Kirsten said.

"Thanks, Kirst. Hey, I have to get to class, but call me later…let me know the decision," Kelly told her.

"Sure thing," Kirsten said and the two girls walked in opposite directions toward their classes.

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"What am I going to do?" Kirsten said as she lay on Jimmy's bed with his arms wrapped around you.

"Well, you still need to hear your dad's answer, right?" Jimmy asked her, stoking her hair.

"Yeah…but it's not just about that…what about us? What's going to happen?" Kirsten said as she flipped around to face him. She stared directly in his eyes.

Jimmy sighed and was silent for a moment before speaking, "Honestly, I don't know. I guess it depends partly on where you go…and if it is far, whether we want to make the long distance thing work."

"Jimmy, I have to be honest with you…if my dad isn't going to let me go to Berkeley, I don't think I'm going to go to USC. I think I'm going to go to Harvard," she said truthfully. "It's not that I don't want to go to school with you, because believe me I do, but I don't think USC is going to be right for me."

"Kirsten, I don't expect you to go to SC just because I am. As much as I would love it if you came, you need to make this decision for you."

"Thanks Jimmy…but that still begs the question, what about us?" Kirsten sighed.

"Well, what do you think?" Jimmy asked her.

Kirsten thought for a moment before speaking, "I want to try to make the long-distance thing work, whether it's across the state or across the country."

A huge grin appeared on Jimmy's face and he said, "I hoped you would say that. I want to make it work too. I love you and I don't plan on losing you anytime soon."

Kirsten smiled in return and said, "I love you too," and then gave him a kiss.

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As soon as Kirsten shut the front door, she heard her father call down from his office. "Kiki! Come up here, please!" Caleb yelled down.

Kirsten walked slowly up the stairs, knowing that she was about to get the answer she had been waiting nearly a month to hear. But suddenly, she wasn't sure if she wanted to hear the answer. _Yeah, I only want to hear it if it's going to be good,_ she thought.

"Please, sit down," her father said as he gestured toward the empty chair facing him at his desk. Kirsten obeyed him and sat down. The he continued, "I have given your request to attend Berkeley carefully, and I will allow you to attend there, but on one condition."

Kirsten almost flew up out of her chair with excitement, but managed to contain herself and replied, "Name it. Anything."

"Now, I'm not going to force you to major in business, even though I think you are making a huge mistake. But I would like you to take a summer business program they offer during one of your summers."

Kirsten smiled. _I can deal with that_, she thought. "Oh, yes! I'll do it!" she exclaimed. Then she jumped out of her chair and surprised herself when she embraced her father in a hug. "Thank you, Daddy!" she exclaimed. _Daddy? Where did that come from? Whatever, I guess it's just excitement,_ she thought.

"Don't thank me. Thank your mother. I still don't approve of you going there, but your mother talked me into it. She convinced me to let you be happy," Caleb stated.

"Well, thank you anyway," Kirsten said again.

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Kirsten hung up the phone after telling him about the good news from her father. Then she picked up the phone again and called Kelly.

"Hello?" Kirsten heard Kelly answer the phone.

"Hey, Kell. It's me," Kirsten said.

"Hey, Kirst. So, what happened?"

"He's letting me go! My father is actually letting me go to Berkeley!" Kirsten exclaimed into the phone.

"Yay! I'm so happy for you! Did you tell Jimmy yet?"

"Yeah, I just got off the phone with him. He's happy too," Kirsten told her.

"So, what does this mean for you guys? I mean, it's a big decision. Stay together long-distance or don't."

"We talked about it earlier and we're going to try to make it work. Besides, Berkeley and SC aren't that far away. The plane ride is what, like an hour? Maybe a little more."

"Good for you two," Kelly said.

"So what about you and Matt?" Kirsten asked.

"We've talked about it…and I don't think we're going to stay together. We'll stay together until we leave for school, but then we'll take a break. If we are really meant to be together, we figure we can always get back together later," Kelly told her.

Kirsten was silent for a second. She wasn't quite sure how to respond. It wasn't really the answer she had expected. "Kell, I know that Arizona isn't exactly close, but it's not that far. I'm surprised you guys weren't going to give it a try at least."

"Yeah, well, I think it was inevitable. Matt's going to be busy with football there. And Kirsten, we aren't you and Jimmy. You guys are meant for each other. More than Matt and I are anyway."

"Kelly…"

"Trust me Kirst. You two are perfect for each other."

"And you and Matt aren't?"

"Kirsten, just trust me on this one. I think some time apart will be good for us."

Just then, Kirsten heard a knock on her door. "Hey, Kell. I have to go. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye," Kirsten heard Kelly say before she hung up the phone.

"Come in!" Kirsten yelled to the knocker.

The door swung open to reveal Kirsten's mother. "Hey sweetie! Your father told me that he told you the good news!" she exclaimed before hugging her daughter tightly.

"Thank you, Mom! So much for everything!" Kirsten told her.

Katherine pulled back and said, "Why are you thanking me?"

"For convincing Dad to let me go. He said you did."

"Well, I just wanted you to be happy, Kirsten," Katherine said before hugging her again.

"I am happy. You have no idea how happy," Kirsten said as she continued to hold her mother in an embrace.

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_I don't own Berkeley, USC, or Harvard._


	29. Chapter 28: The Time of Their Lives

**_Thanks so much to my reviewers of Chapter 27: CynthiaB, nat luvs kandy, FoxyWombat, and BeAuTiFuL mAdDnEsS. Please keep reviewing because I love hearing reviews! Okay, here's the next chapter…_**

**Chapter 28: The Time of Their Lives**

MAY 21, 1981

NEWPORT BEACH, CA

"So, is everything set for prom on Saturday? Is it going to be as great as everyone thinks it's going to be?" Kelly asked Kirsten on their way to the parking lot after school.

"Yeah, I think so. Thank God the Social Chair is in charge of prom and I just have to oversee things…make sure everything is okay. But yeah…it looks like it's going to be great," Kirsten answered with a smile.

"I think this year prom might actually happen without any drama this year. Amazing. I mean, you and Jimmy are doing so well, and Matt and I…well…are concentrating on just having fun until we leave for school," Kelly stated.

"So, are you okay? About you and Matt?" Kirsten asked.

"Yeah, I think so. I mean, I'm going to miss him when I go off to school…he was my high school sweetheart I guess…but yeah, I'm good," Kelly said sincerely.

"That's going to be so weird…you two not together…I mean, you two have been dating longer than Jimmy and I," Kirsten commented.

"Yeah, I know…I think it will be for me too…but that's okay," Kelly told her.

"Okay, just making sure," Kirsten said.

"Thanks. So, are you excited…for, you know?" Kelly asked.

"For what? Prom? Yeah," Kirsten answered and gave her a funny look.

"Well, yeah, prom…but that wasn't what I was talking about. Hello, Kirsten? Prom queen?" Kelly stated.

"Prom queen?" Kirsten laughed. "Kell, you can't be serious. I don't think that's happening."

"Um, yeah it is. Everyone I talked to voted for you. And, hello…you are like the most popular girl in school…President of student government…cheerleader and gorgeous," Kelly told her. "And the only reason you weren't on homecoming court is because everyone was saving you for prom…you know, because of the rule. No one on homecoming court can be on prom court. Come on…you aren't the least bit excited at the possibility?"

"Well, okay, maybe a little…okay, I guess that would be kind of exciting," Kirsten laughed. "But it's not like my goal in life is to be prom queen."

"I never said it was," Kelly said with a laugh. "Anyway, I gotta head home. But tomorrow, manicures and pedicures after school, right?"

"Yeah, definitely. See you tomorrow," Kirsten said.

"Bye!" Kelly called.

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MAY 23, 1981

NEWPORT BEACH, CA

Kirsten's arms were wrapped around Jimmy as they danced to the slow song that was being played. Slowly the song ended and a voice came onto the microphone.

"And now it's the time you've all been waiting for. It's time to present Harbor School's Prom King and Queen. And the queen tonight is Kirsten Nichol!" Cheers erupted around the dance floor at the sound of the name and the announcer paused for a moment before continuing. "And the king is Jimmy Cooper!" More cheers erupted and Jimmy placed a kiss on Kirsten's lips before leading her up to the stage to be crowned.

After they were both crowned, the announcer continued and said, "Now, the king and queen will lead us in the spotlight dance." Jimmy led Kirsten back to the dance floor as "Endless Love," began to play in the background. Slowly other couples began joining in and the room became a sea of couples moving slowly to the music.

Jimmy looked down at Kirsten as he danced with her and thought about how beautiful she looked in her long teal dress with the sparkling crown atop her head of long blond hair. He slowly pulled her closer and whispered in her ear, "I love you."

Kirsten looked up at him with a smile and kissed him. When she pulled away, she said, "I love you, too."

With that, Jimmy pulled her into a longer more passionate kiss and their dancing became slower as they became more absorbed in the kiss.

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After prom, one of the guys on the football team was having a party at his house, so Kirsten and Jimmy decided that they would head over there to hang out with all their friends. However, about an hour into the party, it was clear that there was nothing particularly special about this party. That was until, he thought he might convince Kirsten to go in the pool with him.

"So what do you think? Time for a little pool action?" Jimmy asked Kirsten as he looked over to the backyard pool.

"Yeah, sure…I'm just going to go grab my suit, okay?" Kirsten said.

Just as she turned to walk away from Jimmy, she heard one of the guys yell out, "Cops!" Consequently, everyone at the party started to scream hysterically.

"Shit!" Kirsten yelled, turning back toward Jimmy.

"Come, on. Let's go out the back," Jimmy told her as he grabbed her arm to pull her into a run behind him.

The pair made their way through the back gate and started running down the street. Kirsten was in bare feet, carrying her heels and purse in one hand and holding onto Jimmy's hand with the other.

"Hey! You two! Get back here!" they heard one of the cops yell after them.

"Come on, Kirst! Keep going!" Jimmy encouraged. Fortunately they made their way to an intersection right then and kept running as they made a turn onto another street. Once they made a turn onto Jimmy's street, they both slowed down to catch their breath.

"Oh…my…God!" Jimmy managed to get out as he recovered from his sprint down the street.

"Man, that was close!" Kirsten exclaimed as she breathed quickly.

"Looks, like we made it, though," Jimmy laughed as he put his arm around Kirsten and pulled her into him as they continued walking towards Jimmy's house.

"Yeah! Look at us!" Kirsten laughed. "So, now what's the plan?"

Jimmy thought for a moment and then said, "Actually, I have an idea. Come on!" and he pulled her more quickly towards his house.

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"So are you going to tell me where you're taking me?" Kirsten giggled as Jimmy drove along PCH.

"It's a surprise. But you'll probably figure it out eventually," Jimmy laughed.

"Jimmy, you know I hate surprises. Come on!" Kirsten begged, giving him her best sad face.

"You'll find out in a few minutes," Jimmy told her.

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"Can I open my eyes yet?" Kirsten asked as Jimmy took her arm and walked with her toward their final destination. Kirsten could hear wood creak under her heels, and she could smell the salt of the ocean. She figured they were near the beach or harbor or something.

"Hold on. Just one sec. Okay, open them," Jimmy told her as he let go of her hand.

Kirsten opened her eyes and her view confirmed her suspicion that they were in the harbor. Directly in front of her was a very large boat. "That's your dad's yacht, right?" she said with a smile.

Jimmy placed his arm around Kirsten and pulled her close as he said, "Yes, it is."

Kirsten looked up at him and playfully asked, "So are we going to board this thing?"

"Oh, we're going to do more than that," Jimmy responded and led her onto the boat.

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"Are you sure you know how to drive this thing?" Kirsten asked as they moved out of the Harbor and into the open ocean.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Don't worry. My dad showed me how," Jimmy said as he fiddled with the wheel.

"And how many times did he actually show you?" Kirsten asked skeptically.

"Well, just once," Jimmy admitted. "But I'm doing okay, right?"

"What if I started doing this?" Kirsten asked as she started kissing his neck.

"Um…" Jimmy trailed off as he was finding difficult to concentrate under the circumstances.

Kirsten continued kissing his neck and then nibbled on his ear, whispering, "Or this…"

"Kirst…" Jimmy sighed. "I- I need to-" he tried to get out, but couldn't.

"Or, what about this," she said in a seductive voice as she moved her hand further up his thigh.

"Ah! Okay, you win!" Jimmy exclaimed. "Just let me go drop the anchor," Jimmy told her and ran off. He was back a second later and scooped Kirsten up in his arms and kissed her passionately on the lips.

She giggled as he started carrying her toward the bedroom of the yacht. "Jimmy!" she exclaimed. The she pulled his face closer to hers and they kissed as Jimmy continued walking. As he laid her on the bed, Kirsten immediately pulled him on top of her and wrapped her arms around him as their lips met again. She prayed that moments like these would never end.

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Kirsten stood on the deck of the boat, holding a sheet up that was wrapped around her body. She gazed back toward the shore as she watched the sun rise in the sky to begin a new day. The reds, oranges, and yellows of the sun mixed together with the reflecting blue ocean, created a spectacular view of colors. She was so absorbed in the scene before her that she didn't hear footsteps coming up behind her.

"Hey you!" she heard Jimmy say as he wrapped his arms around Kirsten from behind her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Kirsten smiled and spun around, meeting her lips to his, and then said, "Hey!"

"So I take it you are doing well this morning," Jimmy observed.

"Fabulous," Kirsten concurred. She turned back toward the sun rise and said, "Isn't it beautiful?"

"Gorgeous," Jimmy agreed, his arms still wrapped around Kirsten.

"Everything about last night was great. The dance, the party, running away from the cops, and the yacht…I had the time of my life, Jimmy," Kirsten told him.

"So did I. So did I, Kirst," he replied. "I love you, Kirsten."

"I love -" Kirsten tried to get out, but was interrupted when Jimmy pulled her face toward his and began to kiss her. Kirsten and Jimmy wrapped their arms around each other, not wanting to ever let go.

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_Thanks for reading and please review!_


	30. Chapter 29: The Class of 1981

**_Thanks to my reviewers of Chapter 28: She Loves Shoes, SandyKirsten, and nat luvs kandy. _**

**_On another note, school is finally starting for me and I have a heavy load of classes this fall. I will still try to update when I can, but it probably won't be as much as I have been recently. This actually works out well, though, because I have been getting writer's block lately, so maybe a little time away will give me more inspiration. I can only hope! But don't worry, I won't forget about the story. I intend on finishing it…even if it takes longer than I thought it would. And if anyone has any ideas for it, please let me know!_**

**_So, now, here is the next chapter…maybe for a little while…_**

**Chapter 29: The Class of 1981**

JUNE 16, 1981

NEWPORT BEACH, CA

Kirsten sat nervously in her chair on the podium, fiddling with her note cards in her lap. _I hate public speaking…why am I even doing this? Oh, that's right, I have to,_ Kirsten sighed to herself.

Despite her uncertainty, though, she managed to rise out of her seat when the Principle said, "And now I would like to present our first speaker. She is Harbor School's Student Body Present and the Saludictorian of the Class of 1981. Ladies and gentlemen, Kirsten Nichol!"

Kirsten managed to smile brightly out to the crowd as she stepped up to the microphone. She made eye contact with Jimmy and then Kelly who were sitting next to each other in the third row of students, and somehow, his eyes seemed to transmit the courage she needed to begin. "First, I would like to welcome all the students, parents, faculty, and guests, and extend a tremendous thank you to all of you that have supported us before high school, through high school, and hopefully will continue to give support beyond high school. Without that, the task of getting through high school would have been even more daunting than it already was. Students, you are being recognized here today because of your perseverance and dedication, not only to the challenging academic work, but also to the challenges that life throws at you…."

Jimmy and Kelly listened as Kirsten continued speaking, and found themselves agreeing with her words. The more Kirsten spoke, the more comfortable she became and the more confident she grew. The words just seemed to flow so naturally off the tip of her tongue and she was rarely looking at her note cards.

Jimmy smiled at her as she spoke, thinking, _That's my girl! I love her._

Kelly watched her best friend, and thought, _She's doing so well! I knew she would!_

Kirsten was coming toward the end of her speech, "And, I hope to leave you on a note of courage and integrity with the words of author, William Saroyan:

_In the time of your life, live­−so that in that good time_

_there shall be no ugliness or death for yourself or for _

_any life your life touches._

_Seek goodness everywhere, and when it is found, _

_bring it out of its hiding place and let it be free and _

_unashamed._

_Place in matter and in flesh the least of the values, for_

_these are the things that hold death and must pass _

_away._

_Discover in all things that which shines and is beyond _

_corruption._

_Encourage virtue in whatever heart it may have been_

_driven into secrecy and sorrow by the shame and terror_

_of the world._

_Ignore the obvious, for it is unworthy of the clear eye_

_and the kindly heart._

_Be the inferior of no one, nor of anyone be the _

_superior. Remember that everyone is a variation of _

_yourself. No one's guilt is not yours, nor is anyone's_

_innocence a thing apart._

_In the time of your life, live−so that in the wondrous_

_time you shall not add to the misery and sorrow of the _

_world, but shall smile to the infinite delight and mystery_

_of it._

Kirsten paused for a second, to let the audience take in the last part of her speech, and then continued, "It is my honor to congratulate Harbor's Class of 1981!"

Applause erupted when she was done and she smiled in return as she stepped down from the podium.

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"Hey!" Kirsten said as she sat down next to Jimmy on the charter bus and gave him a kiss.

"Hey," Jimmy said back after they broke apart. "So, where are they taking us?"

"How should I know?" Kirsten replied. When Jimmy gave her a doubtful look, she continued, "I promise! Student government had nothing to do with this. It was all the parents. All I know is that it is suppose to be some place fun for us to celebrate our graduation. I think it was an attempt to prevent too many crazy parties that would have undoubtedly happened."

"Okay, fine. You win," Jimmy said with a smile.

"So, how was dinner with your family?" Kirsten asked.

"Good. How about yours?" Jimmy replied.

"Um, it was okay," Kirsten said, unaware she was making a face.

"That bad?" Jimmy said.

"No, it wasn't bad. I think my dad was happy…of course, it's not like he actually told me he was proud of me. He probably thought that saludictorian wasn't good enough. I guess only being valedictorian would have pleased him," Kirsten said bitterly.

"I'm sure he's proud of you, Kirst. Your dad…he's just…he's not exactly the most affectionate person," Jimmy responded.

"Well, you think he could have been more so on an occasion like this," she sighed.

"Come on, cheer up!" Jimmy encouraged. "We have a fun night ahead of us…wherever that may be," he said as he put his arm around her.

"You're right," she smiled.

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"Why are we getting on the 57 freeway?" Jimmy asked. "Where the hell are we anyway?"

"In Anaheim, I think," Kristen answered.

"What's in Anaheim that they could possibly taking us to anyway?" Jimmy inquired.

A smile spread across Kirsten's face and she answered, "I can only think of one place."

Jimmy looked confused for a second, but then he finally figured out what she was talking about, and said, "You don't think…they couldn't possibly."

"Oh, I think anything's possible with the adults of Newport," she smiled.

Ten minutes later their suspicions were confirmed as the charter buses pulled in front of the Happiest Place on Earth, none other than Disneyland.

Just then, the voice of the bus driver came over the intercom, "We have arrived at our destination. Students of Harbor High School, Disneyland Park is yours until 6 AM."

Cheers erupted through bus and everyone started rushing to get off the bus. As Kirsten and Jimmy made their way off the bus, they spotted Kelly and Matt. Kirsten and Kelly hugged and then Kelly exclaimed, "I can't believe we have all of Disneyland to ourselves! This is amazing!"

"Come on, you two!" Matt called. "Let's go!"

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"Whoa! That was great!" Kirsten exclaimed. "Nothing like riding Space Mountain four times in a row!"

"Yeah, I know! The last time I road this ride must have been like ten years ago. We didn't really make it up to Disneyland that often from San Diego," Jimmy told her.

"Saw more of Sea World and the Wild Animal Park, huh?" Kirsten asked.

"Yeah. So, Space Mountain again, or something else?" Jimmy replied.

"Um, something else I think," Kirsten said. "We have tons of time, we could always come back later."

"Splash Mountain?" Jimmy asked as they started wandering away from Space Mountain.

"Not 'til the end. I don't want to walk around here all night in wet clothes," Kirsten informed him.

"Well, I could get you out of those wet clothes afterward," Jimmy whispered in her ear.

Kirsten responded by playfully hitting him and said, "I don't think so."

"Okay, point taken," Jimmy started. "So, what ride do you want to go on, then?"

"Um…let's see…we've been on Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain, the Matterhorn, Jungle Cruise, and Pirates of the Caribbean. Oh, I have an idea. Let's go on 'It's a Small World!'" Kirsten suggested.

Jimmy gave her a look and said, "Kirsten, that ride is for little kids. It's super slow and boring."

"It's cute and it's not boring. And you're coming with me, whether you want to or not. Don't worry, we'll go on a ton more rides that you'll love," Kirsten told him.

"Fine. Lead the way," Jimmy gave in.

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"See, this isn't so bad, is it?" Kirsten asked as soon as the ride started and 'It's a Small World' started playing in the background.

Jimmy placed his arm around her and said, "Well, nothing's that bad when I'm with you."

Kirsten smiled and leaned closer to him.

"So, is there a reason why you seem to like this ride so much?" Jimmy inquired.

Kirsten thought for a moment and then started talking, "Well, I remember riding it when I was six years old. Back then it was just my parents and me. Hailey was years away. Anyway, I really enjoyed that day at Disneyland and riding this ride was one of things that stuck with me most. Then we came here again as a family three years ago when Hailey was five. I hadn't been on this ride for years, and riding it again with my family and this time with Hailey brought back those fond childhood memories. I don't know, I guess the ride sort of reminds me of how things were so much simpler when I was younger. Kind of let's me escape the complications of reality," Kirsten told him.

"Life definitely doesn't seem to get any less complicated the older we get, does it?" Jimmy agreed.

"Nope," Kirsten sighed. "But, I will say, you have been there for me…to keep me sane through my crazy life."

"But, Kirst, I-" Jimmy started, but Kirsten cut him off instead.

"No, Jimmy. I promise, that it's true. You're the best," she said and started kissing him, growing more passionate by the second.

"You…are…too…" Jimmy managed to get out in between kisses. The couple ended up making out almost the entire ride, but their timing was impeccable and managed to stop right before the ride ended, so nobody saw them.

As they stepped off the ride, Kirsten said, "Congratulations on graduating, Jimmy Cooper."

"You too, Kirsten Nichol. Come on, I'm dragging you on Splash Mountain, now!" Jimmy insisted and started chasing after her as she ran away at the news.

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_Thanks for reading and please review. Sorry, this definitely wasn't one of my better chapters…I feel like I have writer's block, as I mentioned before._

_I do not own the play, The Time of Your Life, by William Saroyan, from which the graduation quote was taken._

_I do not own Disneyland or any of the rides mentioned (Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, Matterhorn, Pirates of the Caribbean, It's a Small World, Jungle Cruise)._

_I do not own Sea World or the San Diego Wild Animal Park._


End file.
